Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7008050 | Desalination | 2018 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Achieving long-term sustainability in potable water production is one of the greatest challenges facing countries with an arid climate, such as Kuwait. The socioeconomic environment of the country has created a rare paradox of staggering water consumption and chronic water scarcity. This research formulates a mathematical model that can identify the best policy to produce desalinated water while focusing on ecological and financial indicators. The parameters derived from each indicator are coupled with a weighted normalization scheme to generate a composite sustainability index based on the relative importance of each indicator from a rentier socioeconomic perspective. Seven desalination settings coupled with the available energy options, including fossil-fuel types, solar power and nuclear energy, were compared based on ecological and financial aspects and incorporated into a mathematical model. The ecological aspect was evaluated with a life cycle assessment (LCA), and the financial aspect was calculated using net present value (NPV) formulas with a nominal discount rate. The optimization model was formulated with a mixed integer program (MIP). The optimized policy indicates that two main desalination plants should maintain the Multistage-Flash Desalination while operating on natural gas, the remaining plants should use Multi-Effect Distillation with solar energy.
Keywords
NPVGCCMM3LCIMSFCSIEUTLCIAGHGsMIPMEWGWPELCDGAMsEutrophicationnet present valueLife cycle impact assessmentLCALife Cycle AssessmentReverse OsmosisAcidificationNuclear energyPhotochemical oxidationMEDMixed integer programMAEMulti-criteria optimizationionizing radiationAbiotic depletionOzone layer depletionMulti-Effect DistillationGross domestic productGDPHuman toxicityGulf cooperation councilEconomicsPhotovoltaicMathematical modelingLife Cycle ManagementLife Cycle InventoryCrude oilHeavy oilMultistage flash desalinationdesalinationSustainabilityglobal warming potentialDesalination plantNatural gasGreenhouse gases
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Filtration and Separation
Authors
Esra Aleisa, Khawla Al-Shayji,