Karafan Journal

Karafan Journal

Location Optimization of Wastewater Treatment Plant Based on the Approach of Data Envelopment Analysis and Decision-making Based on Gray Theory

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Navid Rafiei 1
Mohammad Sohani 2
1 Industrial Engineering Department, Kermanshah University of Technology, Kermanshah, Iran.
2 Department of Industrial Engineering, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.48301/kssa.2025.480216.3004
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants are one of the main infrastructures of every city, apart from considering the topography, society and type of wastewater, it is very essential to establish them in an appropriate place considering the main criteria. The aim of this study was to find the optimal location of the wastewater treatment plant for a case study in Kermanshah province, and for this purpose, a two-step decision-making approach was proposed. Using this approach, effective quantitative and qualitative criteria were considered for the evaluation of locations. In the first stage, DEA was used to select high-efficiency locations based on various measurable criteria. In the second stage, these potential places were evaluated in terms of qualitative criteria, including technical, economic, environmental and social factors. For this evaluation, grey AHP were used for criteria weighting, and grey TOPSIS ranked the locations. The results showed that in the process of selecting the optimal potential location for the establishment of a wastewater treatment plant, the factors of support mechanisms with a weight of 0.179, transmission grid accessibility with a weight of 0.168, proximity to residential areas with a weight of 0.129, and government policies and laws with a weight of 0.101 are the most important criteria. The final ranking identified three cities—Sarmast, Kermanshah, and Tazehabad—as the most suitable locations for establishing wastewater treatment plants. Their degree of possibility values were 0.697, 0.820, and 0.913, respectively, indicating their strong potential for this purpose.
Keywords
TOPSIS
DEA
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Location
Grey Theory
AHP
Subjects
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Karafan Journal
Volume 22, Issue 3
Technical and Engineering
Autumn 2025
Pages 426-448

  • Receive Date 25 September 2024
  • Revise Date 01 January 2025
  • Accept Date 05 February 2025