Robustness of AHP in selecting wastewater treatment method for the coloured metal industry: Serbian case study

Abstract

Selection of the most suitable wastewater treatment method is a difficult task that requires the assessment of alternative methods across usually conflicting criteria. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to evaluate four possible methods (chemical treatment, evaporation, separation by the use of the membranes, and biological treatment) applicable to the manufacture of coloured metals in Serbia. Seven typical criteria are used in the assessment of the treatment methods: energy consumption, price of the chemicals, effectiveness, simplicity of the process, price of the facilities, ecological impact, and necessary educational level of the workers. Following the standard AHP application to identify the most desirable treatment method, a sensitivity analysis is performed to explore the robustness of the final solution (the method to be applied in the factory) if ecological impact and energy consumption receive an increased relative weight compared to other criteria.

Keywords:

• wastewater treatment method
• AHP
• sensitivity analysis

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by Serbian Ministry of Education and Science under the grant 174003 – Theory and application of Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in multi criteria decision making under conditions of risk and uncertainty (individual and group context).