scholarly journals Cost–Benefit Analysis of Municipal Sludge as a Low-Grade Nutrient Source: A Case Study from South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 9950
Author(s):  
Eyob Habte Tesfamariam ◽  
Zekarias Mihreteab Ogbazghi ◽  
John George Annandale ◽  
Yemane Gebrehiwot
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizer ◽  
Bench Mark ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Municipal Sludge ◽  
Humid Zone

Municipal sludge has economic value as a low-grade fertilizer as it consists of appreciable amounts of the macro and micronutrients. When using sludge as fertilizer, the economic aspect should be taken into account. In this study, the following specific objectives were identified: (a) to investigate the economic feasibility of using sludge as a fertilizer; (b) to estimate the maximum economic distance sludge can be transported as a fertilizer; and (c) to test the economic feasibility of selling sludge using commercial inorganic fertilizer as a bench mark. The study showed that for anaerobically digested, paddy dried, municipal sludge consisting of 3% N, 2% P, and 0.3% K the economic feasibility of transporting the sludge was limited to a diameter of 20 km in the arid zone, 28 km in the semi-arid zone, 51 km in the sub humid zone, 66 km in the humid zone, and 75 km in the super-humid zone. Therefore, the economic feasibility of using sludge as a substitute for or complementary to commercial inorganic fertilizer is dictated by the distance between the wastewater care work and the farm, sludge nutrient concentration, agro-ecological zone (rain and temperature), and the real-time commercial inorganic fertilizer price.

scholarly journals The Application of Economic Value Added on Green Facilities of Urban Agriculture

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 05001
Author(s):  
Kuo Wei Hsu ◽  
Shang Zhen Liao
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Economic Value Added ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Production And Consumption

Green facilities of urban agriculture offer a fertile ground for green innovation, such as rooftop gardens, green curtains, and indoor plant growing, which create a new forms of urban farming economy. The previous studies for cost-benefit analysis of urban agriculture indicated that green facilities could contribute both quantitative and qualitative benefits. The value of green facility strategies of urban agriculture may often be underestimated without transforming qualitative benefits to quantitative benefits. This study examined the effects of green facilities of urban agriculture development in Taiwan. The market reaction was explored by adopting economic value added (EVA) technique for the measurement of both quantitative and qualitative value contributed by green facilities. The results from this study support that there exists interaction between qualitative factors such as indirect economic benefits and social psychological benefits and quantitative factors, agricultural production and energy saving impacted by green facilities. The study concluded that consumers of urban agricultural crops are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products. The establishment of relationship between urban agricultural production and consumption can contribute to sustainability while generating economic opportunities.

Benefit-transfer valuation of a cultural heritage site: the Petroglyph National Monument

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARLOS A. ULIBARRI ◽  
VICTOR C. ULIBARRI
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Benefit Transfer ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Heritage Site

ABSTRACTThis paper applies a household production framework (Becker, 1971) to infer the economic value of a cultural heritage site, namely, the Petroglyph National Monument, situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The empirical analysis uses benefit-transfer techniques from three source studies: those of Bergstrom and Cordell (1991) and Boxall et al. (2003), which concern willingness-to-pay to hike and view rock art sites; and those of Rolfe and Windle (2003, 2006), which concern willingness-to-pay by Aboriginal and general populations to preserve a cultural heritage site containing rock art. The benefit-transfer analysis estimates recreational values between 3.75 million and 7 million dollars per year (depending on perceptions of the cultural attribute quality) and a nonuse value of approximately 12.5 million dollars per year. By comparison the annualized costs of developing/operating the study site are 8.5 million dollars per year. Thus a partial cost-benefit analysis suggests the study site yields net economic benefits upwards of 7.8 million dollars per year.

scholarly journals Optimal spatio-temporal design for water quality monitoring networks in maximizing economic value of information

2019 ◽  
Vol 281 ◽  
pp. 03004 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Destandau ◽  
Youssef Zaiter
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
The Cost

The Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC draw attention to Water Quality Monitoring Networks (WQMN) that allows the acquisition of information regarding water streams. Information could be acquired by a spatial and/or temporal approach. However, there is a cost for monitoring water quality. Hence, to determine the spatio-temporal design of the network, the Economic Value of Information must be known to undertake a cost-benefit analysis. In this study, we show how the calculation of the EVOI can help the network manager to answer questions such as: is the cost of monitoring justified? How to allocate a budget between adding a monitoring station or increasing the frequency of measurement of existing stations?

scholarly journals A cost–benefit analysis of implementing urban heat island adaptation measures in small- and medium-sized cities in Austria

2020 ◽  
pp. 239980832097468
Author(s):  
Daniel Johnson ◽  
Linda See ◽  
Sandro M Oswald ◽  
Gundula Prokop ◽  
Tamás Krisztin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Model ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Productivity Loss ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Urban Heat ◽  
Adaptation Scenarios ◽  
Green City

Urban heat islands are an increasing concern even in small- to medium-sized cities, although these areas are still understudied especially in terms of the economic feasibility of adaptation options. This paper uses adaptation scenarios produced by an urban climate model as inputs to a social cost–benefit analysis in three small- to medium-sized cities in Austria: Mödling, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg. The adaptation scenarios, which consider measures such as increasing the reflectivity of different sealed surfaces (referred to as the White City scenario) as well as greening measures (i.e. the Green City scenario), show decreases in the number of hot days (Tmax ≥30°C) when implemented. Benefits include reductions in heat-related mortality, which are modeled based on trends of daily mortality and climate data, reduced morbidity, productivity loss, and numerous urban ecosystem services. The results demonstrate favorable benefit–cost ratios of a combination of measures (White and Green City) of 1.27, 1.36, and 2.68 for Mödling, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg, respectively, indicating positive economic grounds for supporting policies in line with the adaptation scenarios. Furthermore, results of the Green City vs. White City showed higher benefits for the combined and Green City scenarios despite higher costs for each of the cities.

Feasibility Study of Low Grade Heat Recovery Rankine Cycle Using Ozone-Neutral Refrigerant

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Wayne Husband ◽  
Asfaw Beyene
Keyword(s):  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Low Grade Heat

The paper addresses the feasibility of ozone-neutral low grade heat recovery to produce power. The low grade heat source can either be industrial exhaust or solar radiation. Using a scroll expander as a basis for testing, theoretical models yielded a thermal efficiency of 11%, utilizing a non-toxic and non-hazardous working fluid. This project spanned research and development of a system from the comparison of several working fluids, modeling of a theoretical 10 kW unit, the sizing and selection of appropriate system components, and the development of project management tools, in support of its real world development. A cost benefit analysis of the theoretical system shows that solar heat recovery with ozone-neutral refrigerant is a viable option for power generation, at about 1/3 the cost of a comparable photovoltaic system.

scholarly journals The Economic Feasibility of the Valorization of Water Hyacinth for Bioethanol Production

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zanxin Wang ◽  
Fangyuan Zheng ◽  
Shiya Xue
Keyword(s):  
Water Hyacinth ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Green Development ◽  
Carbon Emissions Reduction

One approach to effectively control the rapid expansion of water hyacinth is to use it as a feedstock in producing valuable goods. While it is technically feasible to produce bioethanol using water hyacinth, the economic feasibility of this valorization is yet unknown. This article conducted an ex-ante cost-benefit analysis of the production of bioethanol from water hyacinth. The results show that in comparison with the active control approach of collection and landfill, it is economically feasible to produce bioethanol from the collected biomass. In addition to its contribution to energy diversification, the production of bioethanol using water hyacinth as a feedstock cannot only control the rapid expansion of water hyacinth but can also contribute to carbon emissions reduction and water quality improvement. While the production cost of bioethanol is high, environmental values play an important role in the economic justification of the production. The coupled use of water hyacinth as a phytoremediation plant and bioethanol feedstock is a potential response to green development strategies.

Economic Feasibility Study for Pavement Monitoring Using Synthetic Aperture Radar-Based Satellite Remote Sensing: Cost–Benefit Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 2645 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingxin Li ◽  
Ardeshir Faghri ◽  
Abdulkadir Ozden ◽  
Yixiang Yue
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽  
Satellite Remote Sensing ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Synthetic Aperture ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Pavement Monitoring ◽  
Aperture Radar

Recent developments in satellite remote sensing and the availability of high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) products have created an opportunity for the use of SAR-based monitoring for pavement and infrastructure management. No previous studies have performed a detailed cost–benefit analysis to analyze the economic feasibility of pavement monitoring through the use of SAR-based satellite remote sensing. The aim of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by proposing a comprehensive methodology to estimate the most important benefits and expenses associated with the use of data obtained from satellites by SAR and interferometric SAR for advanced monitoring of the infrastructure and to gain a better understanding of the strategies used to identify their effects. A general cost–benefit analysis framework that could serve as a pavement management tool for assessment of pavement deformations and deformation velocities with millimeter accuracy was developed. The results of a case study performed in the state of Delaware to demonstrate how the proposed approaches can be used to assess the impacts of SAR-based monitoring projects are also presented.

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