Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process for the selection of wastewater reuse targets
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the principles on how to reuse the reclaimed wastewater in urban areas and furthermore, to determine appropriate reuse targets and optimize the selection of reuse targets on wastewater.
Design/methodology/approach
Use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to suggest the assessment criteria and subject weights of wastewater reuse. Candidate reclaimed wastewater reuse targets in this study includes “agriculture irrigation,” “industrial use,” “environmental use,” “urban use,” “groundwater recharge,” “life-use water,” and “infusion reservoir.”
Findings
The analysis results of the pairwise comparison of the water targets under different assessment criteria level show that in all water targets, agriculture irrigation is more important than industrial use under the “public acceptance” at first. Then, the order results were used to suggest the future wastewater reuse targets under different assessment criteria levels and conducted an acceptance survey on the people of the urban areas.
Originality/value
The results of this study can be a useful information for the system analysis of wastewater reclamation and reuse.
Keywords
Citation
Chen, S.-M., Wu, Y.-M. and Yang, L. (2014), "Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process for the selection of wastewater reuse targets", Management Decision, Vol. 52 No. 7, pp. 1222-1235. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2012-0794
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited