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Application of multi-criteria assessment in evaluation of motor vehicles' environmental performances
Abstract
Concern for environment is an important element and obligation in contemporary automobile manufacturing. This paper presents an approach to assess environmental performances of motor vehicles by the application of multi-criteria assessment tools.Within the first part of the paper the multi-criteria problem is presented, with special emphasis on selection of criteria for assessment of passenger vehicles' environmental performances. The second part of the paper describes the application of a multi-criteria assessment according to two approaches -VKSoftware and Compromise Programming (CP) method. The obtained results are compared and discussed.
... The subjective feeling of the sound volume, in addition to the actual value depends also on frequency, since the human ear tolerates higher levels on lower frequencies than lower levels on high frequencies. The noise which originates in the motor vehicle cabin is complex and originates from a number of sources [12,13]. ...
... The tests were performed according to the conditions, methods and criteria defined by the standards of defence of the Republic of Serbia СОРС 0114/87 (The characteristics of comfort of military vehicles) and СОРС 8419/02 (Testing heat comfort of working space of military vehicles). These standards are in harmony with ISO 7730 -Moderate thermal environments-Determination of the PMV and PPD indices and specification of the conditions for thermal comfort [12]. The tests have been performed under laboratory conditions, in a climatic chamber at the environmental temperature of 16 °C, as required by the stated military standard. ...
The paper presents the comparative results of comfort parameter testing inside the cabin of Land Rover Defender off-road vehicles. The measurements were carried out on two vehicle models – 110 GS Hard Top and 110 GS Soft Top Heavy Duty. Tests on comfort parameters were performed only on the military off-road vehicles, or to be more precise on the military off-road vehicles used by the Serbian Armed Forces. The results of the performed tests offer some suggestions for the improvement of comfort of military off-road vehicles used by the Serbian Armed Forces.The comfort elements have been compared from the aspect of accommodation of the crew, noise, vibrations and heating efficiency. A part of the experiment was performed by intensive driving of these off-road vehicles in real world conditions, on three pre-selected types of terrain surface, in order to ensure the repeatability of the testing results: heath, gravel and asphalt base (a portion of the Belgrade – Zagreb highway at the territory near Šid was used due to its less frequent traffic and surface quality). Noise and vibration measurements were carried out at the driver’s seat, co-driver’s seat and other passenger seats under strictly defined vehicle speeds. Testing of the heating efficiency inside the cabin was carried out under laboratory conditions in the cold chamber of the artillery range at Nikinci at a constant ambient temperature of ˗16 °C.
... Data on technical and exploitation characteristics show that roads abound with vehicles that are technically malfunctioned and ripe for the recycling process [6]. In addition, a great number of vehicles do not meet the basic environmental criteria defined by international regulations and standards [1]. ...
The paper aims to present the results of study on how certain types of vehicles with malfunctioning technical parts affect traffic safety in the Republic of Serbia between 1997 and 2014. The following methods were used in the paper: statistical method, comparative method, analysis of frequency of defined traffic accident causes, Pearson linear correlation with a modelled algorithm for data processing. The technical malfunction of vehicles as a cause for accident occurrence has a share of 0,72% in the total number of accidents. The most common cause of accidents lies with malfunctioning lights or light-signalling devices on vehicles. The technical malfunction of vehicles has the highest value of 1,65% in accidents with fatalities and the biggest correlation between accidents at police district and accidents on national level is recorded with accidents in which only material damages were sustained. The research results can be used for comparison on regional level, so as for developing of the model of analysis of the causes of traffic accidents in Serbia and in the region.
... There are many studies outlining the positive effects of electric vehicle usage on emission of gases into atmosphere [17,18]. That may be the most important factor, but there is more to analyse -economic impact [19], energy consumption [20,21] and human factors (noise, vibration) [22]. Therefore, it is very important to optimise the electric vehicle itself, and also its usage [23]. ...
One of the directions for making cleaner and more economic vehicles is to adopt electric vehicle concept. The paper shows current design concepts for electric vehicles worldwide, as well as current sources for supplying vehicles with electric energy. It describes a conversion of one vehicle so that it can be powered by electric motor. The results of tractive and dynamic characteristics calculation and vehicle stability simulation, before and after the conversion, are shown. Obtained results and influential factors are analysed so they can be optimised in order to influence the final characteristics of the converted vehicle. The conclusion is that the complete optimisation process should be performed before the beginning of vehicle conversion in order to avoid undesirable effects, i.e. undesirable characteristics of converted vehicle and high conversion costs.
... There are many studies outlining the positive effects of electric vehicle usage on emission of gases into atmosphere [17,18]. That may be the most important factor, but there is more to analyse -economic impact [19], energy consumption [20,21] and human factors (noise, vibration) [22]. Therefore, it is very important to optimise the electric vehicle itself, and also its usage [23]. ...
This paper presents the study on the effects of lateral vehicle dynamics parameters on motion sickness of the passengers inside. Motion sickness is induced by low-frequency whole-body vibration. The frequencies and the amplitudes of whole-body vibration can be changed by changing the parameters of a conventional suspension system in a design phase or by changing the parameters of a semi-active or active suspension system during vehicle movement. By doing so, one can reduce the negative effects either by changing the vibration frequency or by reducing the vibration amplitude. For the purpose of the study, a vehicle model was developed using MATLAB to simulate the lateral dynamics with different suspension setups and to find the optimal one, which will be the most favourable to the passengers in terms of motion sickness induction. Presented methodology gave an insight into potentials to reduce the motion sickness incidence. The possibilities for methodology improvement are discussed and some guidelines for further investigations are given.
... Moreover, the multicriteria analysis is used to compare alternative fuels for vehicles (gasoline, hybrid, E85 ethanol, diesel, B100 Biodiesel, Compressed Natural gas) considering criteria as vehicle cost, fuel cost, distance between refuelling stations, GHG emissions, etc. [24]. The same methodology is applied in the evaluation of environmental performances of passenger motor vehicles on the following criteria: fuel consumption, CO2/CO/HC/NOx/particulate emissions, noise level, engine power with different weighting methods on five ICEVs [25]. ...
... Considering the benefits of using both MCDM and LCA methods, several applications of MCDM and LCA are described below. MCDM methods present a suitable tool for sustainability and LCA (Rogers and Seager 2009;Milani et al. 2011;Agarski et al. 2012;Hsu et al. 2014;Hassine et al. 2015;Agarski et al. 2016). MCDM with LCA has been applied in several studies. ...
Selection of the optimal product, where several products’ aspects are expressed through criteria, is a multi-criteria decision-making problem. Besides technical, exploitational, functional, structural, market and aesthetic criteria, nowadays, environmental criteria are inevitable aspects of a modern product. Environmental product properties can be successfully evaluated with a life cycle assessment. This paper proposes a multi-criteria decision-making model for optimal product assessment that uses environmental criteria obtained from a life cycle assessment. The proposed model presents a comprehensive approach that aims to overcome complex decision-making problems for optimal product selection, where special attention is given to the product’s environmental impact. Verification of the proposed multi-criteria decision-making and life cycle assessment model was performed on the case study of optimal knee support selection. By changing the criteria weights in multi-criteria decision-making, a sensitivity analysis was performed. The model output results show the product alternatives ranking that supports decision-making in optimal product selection.
... This type of method has been developing for several decades, during which a great number of approaches have been devised. Among them, the life cycle assessment method (known as the LCA method) has proved to be the most comprehensive and most credible, and as such has been accepted as a standard in this field [3, 4]. The previous statement is supported with the following facts: the LCA method and its application are constantly regulated with the development of international standards (ISO 14040 i 14044) [5, 6]; the European Commission, through its Institute for environment and sustainability has declared the LCA method as one of the cornerstones of its sustainable development policy [7]; there is an evident growing interest in the application of the LCA method in recent years, in large number of the analysis of environmental load caused by various products and/or processes in developed countries, which is evidenced by a great number of published scientific and professional publications [8 ÷ 13]. ...
The production of floor coverings, in terms of environmental impact, is a very complex process due to a large number of influential parameters - various chemical emissions, inevitability of waste, a great number of influential physical quantities such as noise and vibration, dust and radiation, energy consumption, recyclability, etc. Interest in the application of LCA within the production of floor coverings has been present for almost two decades and is intensely increasing. During this period different approaches and attempts of LCA implementation have been recorded in this broad field. This paper presents a general model for environmental impact assessment of the production process of floor coverings based on LCA. The developed model represents a contribution to the improvement and a further step towards the standardization of LCA analysis in this field of floor covering production. Verification has been carried out through a case study based on an industrial facility which produces PVC floor coverings.
... Discrete data should be finished. The results are shown in Table 3. Table 3. System simplifies U C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 D 1 2 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 1 3 1 3 1 1 3 1 1 3 2 1 3 1 3 1 3 3 1 2 4 2 1 1 1 3 1 2 3 1 2 5 2 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 1 2 6 2 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 2 2 7 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 8 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 9 2 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 2 2 10 3 3 2 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 11 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 12 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 3 1 1 13 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 3 1 1 14 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 15 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 3 2 16 2 2 3 1 3 1 2 3 2 2 From the Table.3 the deduction is as following: (1,2,3,4,5,6,9,12,14,15,16), (7,8,10),(12,13)} U/indC={(1,5),(2),(3),(4),(5),(6),(7),(8),(9),(10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15),(16)}; U/ind(c2,c3,c4,c5,c6,c7,c8,c9,c10,c11,c12)={(1,5),(2),(3),(4),(6),(7),(8),(9),(10), (11), (12,13), (14), (15),(16)}; U/ind(c1,c3,c4,c5,c6,c7,c8,c9,c10,c11,c12)={(1,5,16),(2),(3),(4),(6),(7),(8),(9),(10), (11), (12), (13), (14),(15)}; U/ind(c1,c2,c4,c5,c6,c7,c8,c9,c10,c11,c12)={(1,4,5),(2),(3),(6), (7), (8,10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16)}; U/ind(c1,c2,c3,c5,c6,c7,c8,c9,c10,c11,c12)={ (1,5,9), (2) Analysis of the final weight indicator shows that: the constant power range and volume of a larger size will affect the motor's comprehensive evaluation index, but overload multiples, response time, cost and traffic utilization factor is little difference in a variety of motor evaluation should be relatively weakened. ...
This paper presents the traction motor evaluation method depending on the electric transmission energy transfer characteristics and different source of supply, including motor manufactures, diesel turbine manufacturers, wheel side reducer manufacturers and electric drive system integrated manufacturers. 9 evaluations are proposed in 3 levels from the motor body and control performance, electric drive system coordinate index, driving conditions and specific cycle. Motor performance evaluation system is published by the means of electric transmission tests and computer simulation platform, using rough set theory. Experimental results show that the model can accurate evaluation of state of the traction motor, Evaluation of the accuracy is better than the subjective weighting analysis, verifying the integrity and usefulness of this valuation method. At the same time, the comprehensive evaluations index of permanent magnet synchronous motors is high, it has important research value.
... A case study illustrating the application of the proposed framework in an Australian context is provided. Agarski et al. [85] applied two multi-criteria assessment methods to assess environmental performances of passenger motor vehicles. Approach was described through a case study that included assessment of five Toyota Auris car models. ...
End-of-life vehicle (ELV) waste flow is an important environmental concern, because of its rapidly increasing amount and special composition of hazardous substances. Its recycling is a matter of country’s attitude towards supporting the environment preservation and it has emerged as a novel area of scientific research. In this paper, we presented a holistic view of the environmental engineering issues of the ELV recycling by covering a wide range of peer-reviewed journal papers. The purpose of this review paper is to give an extensive content analysis overview of the literature published in the period 2003 ÷ 2012. In addition, the major classification scheme and a distribution list of journal papers published in the considered period are created to identify the primary publication outlets. Finally, on the basis of the performed review, several important recommendations for the future research are highlighted and discussed.
... Sometimes, one criterion only is not enough to reach a decision and the methods for multi-criteria decision making are therefore used [4]. Accordingly, the term multi-criteria inventory classification is used. ...
The work presents a research on inventory ABC classification using various multi-criteria methods (AHP method and cluster analysis) and neural networks. For the real inventory sample data and previously conducted traditional ABC analysis the applications of the mentioned methods in inventory classification have also been investigated. The applied methods’ obtained results have been used to evaluate their usage possibilities in real manufacturing environment. The investigations carried out in the present work create real conditions for a better inventory control and implementation of the results in the ERP system inventory module.
... Guidelines included in LCT implementation methods known from the literature indicate tools (Jensen and Remmen 2006) that help develop a comprehensive analysis of environmental impacts, economic costs and social consequences incurred throughout the life cycle of products. Although methods such as life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and social LCA (SLCA) are well known from the literature, they are generally still much more popular among large-sized enterprises (Baumann 2000;Frankl and Rubik 2000;Rex and Bauamnn 2004), for example, in the automotive (Agarski et al. 2012;Schmidt et al. 2004;Schmidt and Taylor 2006) or metal industries (Bieda 2012a, b). Their prevalence also varies depending on the country, size of business, type of business and the industry in which companies operate (Baumann 2000;Frankl and Rubik 2000). ...
This article is the first of a series of articles presenting the results of research on the implementation of life cycle management tools in small- and medium-sized companies in Poland. This work is part of a project financed by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PAED) which began in February 2011. It was carried out by the Wielkopolska Quality Institute—a business environment institution associated with the Polish Centre for Life Cycle Assessment (PCLCA). The main practical objective of the project was to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their business development, e.g. by expanding their horizons beyond the sphere of their operation and identifying new areas for improvement and promotion of the products and services on offer. These publications are a voice in the discussion on the opportunities and pertinence of implementing life cycle thinking (LCT) in small- and medium-sized enterprises and an attempt to identify potential barriers arising from specific characteristics of SMEs which could hinder or even prevent the effective implementation of life cycle techniques. Part 1 presents the situation of SMEs in Poland, general objectives of the project and organisation of the survey process.It was decided to carry out research on the effectiveness of the implementation of LCA and life cycle costing (LCC) in organisations that had received financial support for the implementation of life cycle techniques. Financial constraints, which might potentially be a reason for limited interest in LC techniques among SMEs in Poland, were taken into account. Thus, financial support provided an opportunity for the project to obtain information from a wide range of companies, not only from those companies that were particularly aware of the benefits of LC techniques or had a very good financial situation. Research based on the method of individual in-depth interviews was preceded by an analysis of literature showing the status of SMEs in Poland. Given the results, the project objectives were formulated and the ways of conducting the research were defined.The comparison of Polish SMEs with the same category of companies in the EU shows some similarities, such as the percentage of companies engaged in various businesses. The differences are expressed primarily in the financial potential, which in the case of Polish SMEs, is significantly smaller than the average in the EU. In the SME sector, there are less than half as many small businesses in Poland than in the EU. There are, however, many more microbusinesses in Poland. An evaluation of the prevalence of LCA and LCC techniques indicates that they are used by just 3 % of Polish SMEs, which is a very small proportion compared to the more than 50 % of SMEs taking any environmental measures. Information collected on specific details of Polish SMEs was used to identify the target group and develop a survey questionnaire which aimed to audit, among other things, the approach to environmental and economic analyses in the past and the approach to the LCA and/or LCC analyses that were implemented from the point of view of difficulties in their implementation and potential use of the results.Part 1 of the series of articles demonstrates a marginal-scale dissemination of life cycle management techniques among Polish SMEs. Companies definitely prefer to introduce relatively simple solutions that do not require specialised knowledge or unnecessary costs, e.g. they introduce energy-saving bulbs and waste segregation. Only a small percentage of companies implement more complex activities, and most commonly, these are medium-sized companies with greater financial and human capital. So what should be done to make SMEs use life cycle techniques more frequently? Is it appropriate to make changes in the methodology and life cycle techniques as such, or should, rather, the incentive for SMEs to use LCT come from outside as a requirement of public institutions or suppliers in a supply chain? Answers to these questions are provided in the research conclusions presented in parts 2 and 3 of the series of articles.
The architectonics of the gear train information model (digital twin), developed on the basis of the lifetime mechanics of machines, is presented, and its main components – concepts, representations, models and methods – are described. These provisions and methods were created within the framework of the scientific school founded by Igor Tsitovich, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Brief historic data are given. Currently, this direction is developing at the Joint Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The developed architectonics contains several new components: three method of gear trains synthesis, universal kinematic-quasi-static calculations for the gear transmissions of any configuration, simulation of dynamics based on concept of a regular mechanical systems, strength calculations in the lifetime form, space of operation conditions, reliability calculations according to multilevel “mechanics-dependability” scheme, and a special method for reliability calculation under the general load conditions of the components. Basic representations of the transmission (kinematic diagram, a set of dynamic schemes, life-strength curves, schemes of limiting states, etc.) appear in the development process and go through all stages of life cycle. These components are complemented at the operational stage by transmission diagnostics and evaluation of its lifetime expense as a complex item and serves as accumulators of new knowledge and data about the item and its operation conditions (environment). The methodological provisions developed for the transmissions are applicable to a wide range of engineering objects. They are also presented in the State standards of the USSR and the Republic of Belarus.KeywordsGear trainTransmissionInformation modelDigital twinCalculationSynthesisKinematicsDynamicsReliabilityLifetime expense
The chapter presents a methodology for multi-criteria selection of transportation technologies in a transport network. The methodology consists of the following stages: development of transport alternatives; optimization the parameters of the transportation for each alternative by economical criterion, evaluation the alternatives, taking into account the uncertainty of the processes; choice of additional quantitative and qualitative criteria for assessing the alternatives, and determination the weights of additional criteria by using AHP method or its fuzzy version by applying the theory of fuzzy sets FAHP; prioritization the alternatives according the additional criteria by applying PROMETHEE method; definition an complex optimization criterion for choosing the optimal alternative of transport technologies in a state of certainty and uncertainty. The methodology has been applied to develop a multi-criteria model for the optimization of the transport scheme in passenger rail transport; multi-criteria model for route selection in the transport network; multi-criteria model for assessing the efficiency of intermodal passenger and freight transport. The research objective of this chapter was to experiment the application of the developed methodology in different modes of transport.
Use of robots in product disassembly is growing in popularity, mainly due to ever-increasing labour costs in both developed and developing countries. However, currently there are no approaches for assessing the trade-offs between environmental benefits, technological feasibility and economic viability of robotic disassembly. The work presented in this paper aims to justify the future application of robotic disassembly in products end-of-life management by assessing its sustainability through multiple factors (i.e. environmental, technological and economic performance). This paper proposes a framework for the multi-criteria assessment of robotic disassembly to support recycling and recovery, which consists of three main stages: analysis of recycling options, selection of assessment criteria, and evaluation of disassembly operations. A decision support tool has also been developed to compare the results from different recycling scenarios based on manual and automatic disassembly. A number of automotive electronic components have been used as case studies to illustrate the application of the framework and its associated decision support tool.
In this paper, we present the first generic framework for selecting comprehensive material/energetic sustainability performance indicators (SPIs) for technical systems: the S-Cycle Performance Matrix (S-CPMatrix). This novel matrix is comprised of 6 generic sustainability goals, 11 SPI archetypes, and 23 corresponding metrics identified from our previously developed model of technical system sustainability (the S-Cycle), and is intended to support decision makers in meeting three identified criteria for comprehensive SPI sets: (C1) inclusion of indicators measuring performance at all relevant scales; (C2) inclusion of efficiency and effectiveness indicators; and (C3) coverage of all system sustainability goals. We evaluated the matrix by interpreting and classifying 324 indicators currently applied to assess technical system sustainability performance in the literature, with 94.1% found to be fully classifiable with respect to the proposed goals and SPI archetypes following several refinements. The matrix is applicable to different systems, and may be considered to facilitate the selection of a holistic set of SPIs from different sources and evaluation approaches. Thus, it addresses a need for consistent yet flexible guidance on how to comprehensively assess technical system sustainability performance, mirroring generic guidelines on organizational SPI selection widely available through several international initiatives. In addition to industrial evaluation of the S-CPMatrix, four avenues for future research are proposed: (i) use of the matrix for systems comparison/benchmarking; (ii) further investigation of unsupported metrics; (iii) the nature and measurement of contaminants; and (iv) assessing the comprehensiveness of current SPI sets for technical systems.
Introduced research work relates to the possibility of material flow enhancement in production systems, with the apostrophe on material order picking in production assembly lines. The paper presents basic rules and the results related to formed computer models of zoned order picking systems under the application of developed bound cavities method.
Inventory classification is a very important part of inventory control which represents the technique of operational research discipline. A systematic approach to the inventory control and classification may have a significant influence on company competitiveness. The paper describes the results obtained by investigating the application of neural networks in multiple criteria inventory classification. Various structures of a back-propagation neural network have been analysed and the optimal one with the minimum Root Mean Square error selected. The predicted results are compared to those obtained by the multiple criteria classification using the analytical hierarchy process.
In this paper, through example, a comparison between the traditional ABC inventory classification and advanced multiple criteria inventory classification method has been given. Inventory control or management, which is one of the important techniques of operational research field, plays an important role in the company management. Application of different inventory control methods and models has a great influence on improving the company competitiveness. The traditional ABC method of inventory classification is based only on one criterion. This criterion, very often, is not the most important one, so different multiple criteria decision making methods have been developed. Some of them are described in this paper and applied for the classification of parts for the assembly of agricultural machine. The parts are classified using the traditional ABC classification based only on one criterion and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology.
The ongoing world economic crisis has shown that being a successful enterprise in normal economic conditions is not a guarantee of sustainability. So the crisis has led to bankruptcy of many successful enterprises, especially large-sized enterprises. This brought into question the future of large-sized enterprises, but at the same time raised the question whether there is an alternative to large-sized enterprises. Of course, there is an alternative in networking of small and medium-sized enterprises and their optimal selection in the creation of new virtual enterprises. This paper deals with the problem of the selection of cooperators for the new production process. It is assumed that enterprises can be mutually compared and ranked, and that makes optimization possible, using Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm.
With increasing awareness of potentially harmful life-cycle environmental impacts, preserving natural resources, government regulations against disposal of toxic substances in landfills, and the consequent development of markets for recycled components and materials, more options are now available for the disposal of post-use electronic equipment (e.g. personal computers, computer monitors etc.). Disassembly is the first stage in the WEEE recycling process. Manual disassembly has proven to be the most efficient method. Automated systems find their implementation only when relatively uniform-type equipment or assemblies are disassembled. Layout changes can enhance disassembly speeds by efficient material movement. This paper presents a proposal of disassembly line layout configuration which has been designed for disassembly of electronic equipment, typically found in residential waste stream, commonly referred to as consumer electronics. This paper introduces also a new concept as a possible solution for the known problems in existing layouts that occur during disassembly process such as disassembly speed, lifting, contamination risk, cluttering of tools and overloading of the sorting operator.
A new and applicable environmental rating tool for use as a policy tool, called EcoScore, was developed and allows evaluating the environmental impact of road vehicles with different drive trains or using different fuels. A single environmental indicator integrates different aspects of the environmental impact of the vehicles such as global warming, air quality depletion and noise pollution. To integrate these different aspects, the Ecoscore methodology includes different damage categories like: global warming, human health impairing effects and harmful effects on ecosystems. The contribution of the different normalised damages to the single value, called Ecoscore, is based upon a weighting system. The methodology can also be used for the ranking of heavy duty vehicles and two-wheelers. However, in this paper, the methodology will be explained using passenger vehicles and light-duty vehicles as an illustration. The methodology will be implemented by the Flemish government as a policy tool for the promotion of cleaner vehicles. An extensive database including vehicle records and their related emission data was used to develop, to validate and to analyse the environmental rating system. A sensitivity analysis was carried out which allowed the evaluation of the robustness of the methodology.
Goal, Scope and Background
In this article, the Life Cycle Impact Assessment of the average passenger vehicle of the Netherlands is performed, with emphasis on the current dismantling and recycling practice in this country. From calculations on recovery rates of the several material streams from ELY (End-of-Live Vehicle) recycling, it seems that attaining the European ELV legislation recycling targets (Directive 2000/53/EC 2000) is very difficult, even for countries with advanced collection and recycling infrastructures such as the Netherlands. An LCA of the current average passenger vehicle of the Netherlands, including a detailed modelling of the recovery and recycling should form a sound basis for comparison with alternative automotive life cycle designs and legislation efforts.
Model and System Definition
An average passenger vehicle is defined, having average weight and material composition. A cradle to grave approach is taken, including all relevant upstream processes for the production of materials and fuels, and the return of the recycled materials to the material cycles in the EOL (End-of-Life) phase. A particularity of this model is the detailed description of the Dutch collection and recycling infrastructure, with current data for the shredding, separation and metallurgical recycling processes (ARN 2000, Barkhof 1998, Chapman 1983, Püchert et al.1994, Worrel et al. 1992).
Results and Discussion
According to the Eco-indicator 99 (EI99) (Ministerie van V.R.O.M 1999), the largest environmental impact of the passenger vehicle’s life cycle occurs in the use phase — over 90% —, due to the combustion and depletion of fossil fuels. This is in agreement of previous studies (Kasai 2000, Kanesaki 2000). Also in the other life cycle phases, the use of fossil fuels is the dominant impact, even for the production phase. Resource depletion due to the use of the materials employed in the vehicle causes a comparatively lower environmental impact, namely due to the high recovery rate and efficiency of the metallurgical recycling, that balances for about 30% the total impacts of the materials production and use. NOx emission was one of the smallest emissions to air in quantity, but was responsible for 36% of the impact of the life cycle, while CO2 was the largest emission to air but caused only 6% of the environmental impact.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Although there is a growing awareness and concern on increasing the recyclability of vehicles, the use phase still has the largest environmental impact of the vehicle’s life cycle. A life cycle assessment can be a sound basis to evaluate and compare design alternatives to increase the sustainability of passenger vehicles. The ASR (Automotive shredder residue) is currently the greatest concern with regard to the recovery targets. It is a large amount of materials (about 32 wt.%), difficult and costly to recycle, and thermal recovery is limited to a maximum of 15wt.% in 1015 by the European ELV legislation. Joint efforts from the automotive industry and legislative institutions are required to find a sensible solution. LCA can be a useful tool to support legislative decisions, as purely weight-based recovery definitions are not adequate to evaluate the sustainability of the automobile life cycle.
In this paper we propose an integrated model from the most important and usable Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques, means Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Ordering Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), in order to examine the improvement fields of Iran automobile industry. A new approach, AT method, has been suggested to combine the results of two techniques to find the final ranking. Besides, we propose a developing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model as a basis for comparing the reliability of results of the MCDM techniques, which depicts AT is more reliable than AHP and TOPSIS. Our results have certified that safety and then price are the customers’ most important criteria for automobile selection. After comparing the internal and external products, and ranking them based on the criteria and sub-criteria, the necessity to improve internal automobiles on various fields has been prioritized.
This paper disseminates the foreground of sustainable cryogenic machining technology that has a high potential to cut production costs and improve competitiveness by reducing resource consumption and creating less waste. The sustainability issues on a shop floor level are pointed out via a life cycle assessment, concluding that the future of sustainable production is going to entail the use of cryogenic machining to reduce environmental burdens and health risks, while increasing machining performance and profitability In addition, machining evaluation is covered by an experimental study undertaken to understand the likely impacts of the use of cryogenic technology on production costs. The case study refers to the machining of high-temperature Ni-alloy (Inconel 718). It is shown that tooling costs greatly contribute to the total production cost and that cryogenic machining offers a clean and a cost-effective route to improve sustainability performance in comparison to conventional machining.
This paper presents the system for the assessment of energy crops for biogas production. The system is based on simulation modelling and multi criteria decision analysis. The deterministic simulation system consists of deterministic production simulation models that enable different types of costs calculations for the production of energy crops, electrical and heat energy in biogas production. Simulation model results were further evaluated using a qualitative multi-attribute modelling methodology (supported by the software tool DEX-i) and quantitative analytical hierarchical process - AHP (supported by the software tool Expert Choice 2000 (TM)). The analysis showed that by using current model the most relevant alternative used for energy crop for biogas production is maize. The maize results in the best multicriteria evaluation EC = 0.248 and DEX-i evaluation = appropriate. The best alternative for maize is sorghum with multicriteria evaluation of EC = 0.201 and DEX-i evaluation = less appropriate.
Life cycle cost analysis of the constructed facilities provides insight into the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance and disposal costs of the facilities. By applying this method during the early design phase it is possible to reduce maintenance and operating costs, plan future costs of ownership and prevent or reduce the impact of business interruption due to the maintenance and functional usability. The results of the life cycle cost analysis of facilities depend considerably on the period of life cycle cost analysis and the applied discount rate once net present values are populated. This paper presents life cycle costs case study analysis of the public facility for two different analysis periods, one of 30 and another of 50 years. Facility life cycle costs for both analyzed periods have been discounted to net present value using five different discount rate factors. Predicted construction costs are calculated based on Croatian construction standards, and operation and maintenance costs are based on analysis of historical data of similar constructed facilities in Croatia.
In the domain of environmental protection, multi-criteria evaluation is used in cases where multiple alternatives, on the bases of multiple parameters, need to be evaluated. Depending on the particular goal of investigation, various approaches have been developed and applied. This various multi-criteria approaches differ in parameter weighting method, in data normalization method as well as in the method for assessment of alternatives. According to the applied multi-criteria methodology, the result, i.e., the rank of alternatives may differ to some extent. In this context, parameter weighting bears special significance in multi-criteria evaluation, while the choice of method is crucial for final result. The specificity of parameter weighting process in environment protection is directly related to pronounced interdisciplinary character of this area, as well as the large number of influential parameters. With this in mind, this paper presents an approach to multi-criteria evaluation which—through integration of three specific methods for parameter weighting—allows more flexible and multi-purpose application. Based on the established concept, a software application was developed. Besides automated parameter weighting, it also provides graphical interpretation of results. The developed approach and software have been verified on the case study related to evaluation of environmental loadings at six locations in the city of Novi Sad.
Several factors, including economical, environmental, and social factors, are involved in selection of the best fuel-based vehicles for road transportation. This leads to a multi-criteria selection problem for multi-alternatives. In this study, a multi-criteria assessment model was developed to rank different road transportation fuel-based vehicles (both renewable and non-renewable) using a method called Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment and Evaluations (PROMETHEE). This method combines qualitative and quantitative criteria to rank various alternatives. In this study, vehicles based on gasoline, gasoline–electric (hybrid), E85 ethanol, diesel, B100 biodiesel, and compressed natural gas (CNG) were considered as alternatives. These alternatives were ranked based on five criteria: vehicle cost, fuel cost, distance between refueling stations, number of vehicle options available to the consumer, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit distance traveled. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed to study the impact of changes in various parameters on final ranking. Two base cases and several alternative scenarios were evaluated. In the base case scenario with higher weight on economical parameters, gasoline-based vehicle was ranked higher than other vehicles. In the base case scenario with higher weight on environmental parameters, hybrid vehicle was ranked first followed by biodiesel-based vehicle.
Environmental analyses of the impact of transportation systems on the environment from the cradle to the grave are rare. This article makes a comparison of various Dutch passenger transportation systems by studying their complete life-cycle energy use. Moreover, systems are compared according to their use of space, costs and travel time. Although the results indicate that no one transportation system out performs others in all of the characteristics, in a multi-criteria analysis of four aspects, the train and bicycle emerge as superior options. This holds regardless of the travel distance considered. Interestingly, the train and bicycle are complementary systems, that together operate within a comprehensive distance range.
The motor vehicle has provided mobility and individual freedom for millions of people. However, vehicles embody the dilemma of contemporary industrialisation in that the environmental costs of automobility are equally large. This non-country specific study undertakes a PROMETHEE-based preference ranking of a small set of motor vehicles based on constituents of their exhaust emissions. As a model of an interested party's preference ranking of the motor vehicles, the subsequent uncertainty (sensitivity) analysis considered here, relates to what minimal (lean) changes would be necessary to a vehicle's emissions so that their preference ranking is improved. For a particular manufacturer, it can identify the necessary engineering performance modifications to be made to improve their perceived consumer based ranking. This is compounded by a further consideration of different levels of importance conferred on the criteria (vehicle emissions) and analogous analyses undertaken. The visual elucidation of the results rankings and changes to criteria values, offers a clear presentation of the findings to the interested parties.
Each alternative scheme for treating a vehicle at its end of life has its own consequences from a social, environmental, economic and technical point of view. Furthermore, the criteria used to determine these consequences are often contradictory and not equally important. In the presence of multiple conflicting criteria, an optimal alternative scheme never exists. A multiple-criteria decision aid (MCDA) method to aid the Decision Maker (DM) in selecting the best compromise scheme for the management of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) is presented in this paper. The constitution of a set of alternatives schemes, the selection of a list of relevant criteria to evaluate these alternative schemes and the choice of an appropriate management system are also analyzed in this framework. The proposed procedure relies on the PROMETHEE method which belongs to the well-known family of multiple criteria outranking methods. For this purpose, level, linear and Gaussian functions are used as preference functions.