6533b85ffe1ef96bd12c1398

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Evaluating the Eco-Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants: Comparison of Optimistic and Pessimistic Approaches

Rafael CaballeroManuel Mocholi-arceRamón Sala-garridoMaría Molinos-senanteTrinidad Gómez

subject

Index (economics)Geography Planning and DevelopmentTJ807-830Sample (statistics)02 engineering and technology010501 environmental sciencesManagement Monitoring Policy and LawEco-efficiencyTD194-195:CIENCIAS ECONÓMICAS [UNESCO]01 natural sciencesRenewable energy sourcesgreenhouse gas emission0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineeringData envelopment analysisGE1-350wastewater treatment plant0105 earth and related environmental sciencesEnvironmental effects of industries and plantsRenewable Energy Sustainability and the EnvironmentUNESCO::CIENCIAS ECONÓMICASregulationEnvironmental economicssustainabilityeco-efficiencyEnvironmental sciencesRankingGreenhouse gasSustainabilityEnvironmental science020201 artificial intelligence & image processingSewage treatmentdata envelopment analysis

description

The assessment of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) performance has gained the interest of water utilities and water regulators. Eco-efficiency has been identified as a powerful indicator, as it integrates economic and environmental variables into a single index. Most previous studies have employed traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) for the evaluation of WWTP eco-efficiency. However, DEA allows the selection of input and output weights for individual WWTPs for the calculation of eco-efficiency scores. To overcome this limitation, we employed the double-frontier and common set of weights methods to evaluate the eco-efficiency of a sample of 30 WWTPs in Spain. The WWTPs were ranked based on eco-efficiency scores derived under several scenarios including best- and worst-case scenarios

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2020-12-17Sustainability
https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410580