A fuzzy analytical hierarchy process–weighted linear combination decision-making model for prioritization of ballast water treatment technologies by ship owners in Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 233 (4) ◽  
pp. 1276-1286
Author(s):  
Isaac Animah
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Linear Combination ◽  
Analytical Hierarchy Process ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Weighted Linear Combination ◽  
Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Ballast Water Treatment ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Giving the ratification of the ballast water management convention, a number of ballast water treatment technologies are emerging in the maritime industry; however, choosing the most appropriate technology has been a big challenge for ship owners because it is a very complex and critical task. The aim of this article is to propose a multi-attribute decision analysis model which integrates the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and the weighted linear combination method into a more comprehensive approach to select the most appropriate ballast water treatment technology for ship owners. The proposed model consists of 6 attributes (i.e. technological readiness, commercial readiness, operational readiness, seafarer’s skills readiness, biological efficacy readiness and cost of ballast water treatment technologies) and 17 ballast water treatment technologies among which ship owners can choose the best. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process is used to obtain more realistic weights of the attributes, while the weighted linear combination is applied to prioritize the technologies. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, it is applied to select the best ballast water treatment technology for a ship owner in Ghana. The result shows that the ballast water treatment technology which uses membrane filter is selected as the best. Sensitivity analysis is then carried out to determine the effect of changing attributes’ weights on the final priority rankings of the ballast water treatment technologies. Finally, the model is validated by comparing the obtained results to those from the PROMETHEE model and both results are consistent.

scholarly journals Ballast water management: technology choice comparing TODIM and THOR 2

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2140-2160
Author(s):  
Carlos Francisco Simões Gomes ◽  
Luiz Flavio Autran Monteiro Gomes ◽  
Luís Alberto Duncan Rangel ◽  
Fabrício Maione Tenório ◽  
Marcos dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Technology Choice ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Ballast Water Treatment ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Management Method ◽  
Ballast Water Management

This paper approaches the problem of ballast water treatment in ships. This has been identified as one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans. Solutions that have been considered for solving the problem are alternative water treatment technologies. In the case study reported in this paper three major water treatment technologies have been evaluated with the help of twenty-six criteria, quantitative as well as qualitative by using two discrete multicriteria methods, TODIM and THOR 2. The THOR 2 consists of the axiomatic evolution of the THOR method and both THOR 2 and THOR are made available through the THOR Web platform. Five groups of evaluation criteria are then considered: practicality; biological effectiveness; cost/benefit ratio; time frame for the implementation of standards; and environmental impact of the process' sub-products. In this paper a case study on choosing a ballast water treatment technology is presented. Three alternative ballast water management technologies are proposed by experts in the field and are evaluated with the help of twenty-six criteria, quantitative as well as qualitative. Each ballast water management method is described by a list of twenty-six attributes or criteria. After setting the problem in a clear way and consulting different experts, the two separate applications of both TODIM and THOR 2 are performed. What is denoted as Management Method #1 is indeed chosen as the best alternative according to both methods. The conclusion is that those two methods, although conceptually and analytically quite different, lead essentially to the same main results.  Two other applications of both TODIM and THOR have indeed confirmed the convergence of results in spite of the conceptual and technical differences between the two methods. This suggests that formulating a decision problem in a correct, clear-cut way can be at least as important as the technical characteristics of the method per se.

Considerations in the Design of the Primary Treatment for Ballast Systems

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (01) ◽  
pp. 49-60
Author(s):  
Michael G. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Secondary Treatment ◽  
Bulk Carrier ◽  
Ballast Water Treatment ◽  
Mechanical Separation ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Investigations are currently underway to establish effective primary and secondary ballast water treatment methods to minimize the potential for the introduction of additional nonindigenous aquatic species into the Great Lakes and other U.S. coastal waters. This treatment could be used in place of mid-ocean ballast exchange currently required by the U.S. Coast Guard for all vessels entering the Great Lakes in ballast from beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Primary and secondary treatment could provide environmental protection for both Ballast On Board (BOB) vessels, which are required to perform mid-ocean ballast exchange before entering the Great Lakes, and No Ballast On Board (NOBOB) vessels, which are currently exempt from any ballast exchange requirements. Primary treatment using some form of mechanical separation to 100 urn or 50 um followed by secondary treatment using 254 nm UV irradiation or some form of chemical treatment are currently leading candidates. Over the past six years, the Great Lakes Ballast Technology Demonstration Project (GLBTDP) has undertaken the full-scale evaluation of 340 m3/h (1500 U.S. gpm) ballast water mechanical separation using an automatic backwashing screen filter, hydrocyclone, and automatic backwashing disk filter. This experience provides the basis for the investigation of various ballast system design issues that must be considered in the selection and design of the primary ballast water treatment. This investigation is based upon the ballast system of a typical Seaway size bulk carrier using port and starboard 2000 m3/h (8800 U.S. gpm) main ballast pumps. A discrete multicriterion optimization tradeoff study using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is also presented to illustrate a rational method for determining the best choice for primary ballast water treatment for such a Seaway size bulk carrier.

Siting MSW landfill using weighted linear combination and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology in GIS environment (case study: Karaj)

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 912-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazaher Moeinaddini ◽  
Nematollah Khorasani ◽  
Afshin Danehkar ◽  
Ali Asghar Darvishsefat ◽  
Mehdi zienalyan
Keyword(s):  
Linear Combination ◽  
Analytical Hierarchy Process ◽  
Weighted Linear Combination ◽  
Msw Landfill ◽  
Gis Environment ◽  
Hierarchy Process
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document