System dynamics modelling of mixed recycling mode based on contract: a case study of online and offline recycling of E-waste in China

ABSTRACT

As the pace of global sustainable economic development accelerates, increasing attention has been brought to the reutilization of waste electronic resources (E-waste). As the leading manufacturer and consumer of electronic products, China has now become the largest producer of E-waste around the world. Considering the current state of recycling mode in China, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (Huawei) took the lead in implementing a blended operation model of manufacturer-led recycling model (offline recycling, OffR) and retailer-led recycling model (online recycling, OnR). In order for the improvement of recycling efficiency for Huawei and other telecommunication companies, this paper constructs a closed-loop network model of mixed recycling (MR) between manufacturers and retailers based on contract, where manufacturers and retailers jointly recycle E-waste for the provision of E-waste to manufacturers for remanufacturing. In this paper, the MR model is compared against the OffR model and OnR model to evaluate the recycling allocation mechanism run by both manufacturer and retailer and then a contract-based, closed-loop network model of mixed recycling between manufacturers and retailers is developed on the basis of obtaining the optimal MR model. By means of simulation analysis, the optimal recycling allocation ratio between manufacturer and retailer is determined. The results obtained from this study are expected to help manufacturers and retailers with effective negotiation and cooperation, so as to improve the efficiency of E-waste recycling while promoting sustainable development and reducing the economic losses caused by price competition to the minimum. This research contributes to not only the waste management studies but also the recycling of E-waste in China and other countries.     

Determining optimal resource recycling boundary at regional level: A case study on Tokyo Metropolitan Area in Japan

Conventionally, material inputs to industries come from either natural resources or intermediate products. With the increasing attention on greening the industrial process, municipal solid waste (MSW) can be separated and utilized as inputs to large-scale industries. As such, waste flows need to be managed to meet the requirements of industries by considering both quality and scale. Small scales of municipal recycling centers (MRCs) for pre-treating recyclable wastes often lead to higher pre-treatment cost and lower recycling efficiencies. Theoretically, appropriate facility scale and recycling boundary should be based upon a balanced consideration between economies of scale and transportation costs. However, only a few empirical studies on recycling boundaries have been conducted. Existing modeling studies are mostly case studies for planning purposes and do not theoretically examine the mechanisms and factors that determine recycling boundary. Under such a circumstance, this paper fills such a gap by quantitatively seeking the determinants for recycling boundaries and the related mechanism. An optimization model applying on the recycling of waste plastics is developed and tested in the Tokyo Metropolitan Region (TMR) in Japan. The results indicate two determinants for recycling boundary at the regional level: spatial density of separated wastes and the ratio of unit transportation cost to unit treatment cost. Separated wastes that are collected in low spatial density and have a low ratio of unit transportation cost to unit treatment cost should be better recycled in a large region. The finding implies that regional recycling networks should have multiple layers designed for different types of wastes due to the differences in their spatial density, unit transportation cost and unit treatment cost.     

A two-level network for recycling sand: A case study

In the Netherlands, the recycling of construction waste and in particular of sand creates an important logistic problem. New legislation ensures that disposal is reduced to a minimal level and this incentives recycling. Such measures cause an increase on the offer of sand (a subproduct of recycling construction waste) and create the need for establishing an efficient sand network. The sand problem falls into the field of reverse logistics management since it deals with processing returned goods (sieved sand). We propose a two-level location model for the sand problem and consider its optimization using heuristic procedures. The results obtained for the sand recycling network in the Netherlands are summarized.     

基于企业社会责任的逆向物流回收模式选择

随着产品生命周期缩短,产品更新换代加快,废旧产品的回收与处理已成为一个迫切的社会问题。基于企业的社会责任,本文研究逆向物流回收模式的选择问题。我们考虑生产商回收、零售商回收及第三方物流回收三种模式,在为各回收模式建立数学模型后对其进行了优化分析;最后以电子行业废旧产品的回收为例,通过算例分析,对考虑和不考虑企业社会责任的回收模式进行了比较,从而得出:当生产企业较少考虑到企业社会责任且政府奖励较低时,其会选择零售商回收模式;而当生产企业较多地考虑到企业社会责任且政府奖励较高时,其会选择自己回收的模式。这表明企业社会责任和合适的政府激励对促进生产商自己担负起废旧产品的回收工作有积极的意义。     

On the cooperation of recycling operations

This paper addresses two important issues that may affect the operations efficiency in the recycling industry. First, the industry contains many small-scale and inefficient recycling firms, especially in developing countries. Second, the output from recycling a waste product often yields multiple recycled products that cannot all be sold efficiently by a single firm. To address these two issues, this paper examines how different firms can cooperate in their recycling and pricing decisions using cooperative game theory. Recycling operations under both joint and individual productions with different cost structures are considered. Decisions include the quantity of waste product to recycle and the price at which to sell each recycled product on each firm’s market. These decisions can be made jointly by multiple cooperating firms to maximize total profit. We design allocation schemes for maximized total profit to encourage cooperation among all firms. Managerial insights are provided from both environmental and economic perspectives.     

基于动态定价的再制造商主导的多周期多目标产品回收网络设计

假设回收商和制造/再制造商为独立理性的决策者,并共同构建回收网络,且制造/再制造商在两者的博弈中处于主导地位。另考虑废旧品回收率是回收价格的线性函数,结合回收定价与回收网络设计,建立基于动态定价的回收网络双层规划模型,上层规划为制造/再制造商进行再制造工厂的选址,确定回收补贴价格,下层规划为回收商进行回收中心的选址,确定废旧品的回收价格。通过建立模型求解算法,并给出算例论证模型的有效性。     

Modelling and optimisation of electricity,steam and district heating production for a local Swedish utility

District heating may help reduce environmental impact and energy costs, but policy instruments and waste management may influence operations. The energy system optimisation model MODEST has been used for 50 towns, regions and a nation. Investments and operation that satisfy energy demand at minimum cost are found through linear programming. This paper describes the application of MODEST to a municipal utility, which uses several fuels and cogeneration plants. The model reflects diurnal and monthly demand fluctuations.Several studies of the Linköping utility are reviewed. These indicate that the marginal heat cost is lower in summer; a new waste or wood fired cogeneration plant is more profitable than a natural-gas-fired combined cycle; material recycling of paper and hard plastics is preferable to waste incineration from an energy-efficiency viewpoint; and considering external costs enhances wood fuel use. Here, an emission limit is used to show how fossil-fuel cogeneration displaces CO₂ from coal-condensing plants.     

考虑返修的建设项目时间-成本-质量问题

当施工过程中质量不达标需要返修以改进项目质量,但相应地会影响项目工期和成本。本文基于经典多模式资源受限项目调度问题构建一种新的非线性规划模型,目标为项目成本最小和工期最短,其中项目成本考虑返修成本以提高项目质量。首先,使用二元非独立正态分布函数描述活动质量,根据活动间的串联或并联关系定义隐蔽工程质量为活动质量的函数。其次,本文提出一种基于NSGA的混合蛙跳算法,采用串行进度产生方案和调整的活动列表编码,其中蛙跳过程结合了遗传算法中的交叉操作和基于置换的局域搜索。最后,整个模型算法应用于框架铁路立交桥施工项目,验证本文算法性能在支配解数量和质量上都优于标准NSGA。     

Flexible waste management under uncertainty

In this paper, we use stochastic dynamic programming to model the choice of a municipality which has to design an optimal waste management program under uncertainty about the price of recyclables in the secondary market. The municipality can, by undertaking an irreversible investment, adopt a flexible program which integrates the existing landfill strategy with recycling, keeping the option to switch back to landfilling, if profitable. We determine the optimal share of waste to be recycled and the optimal timing for the investment in such a flexible program. We find that adopting a flexible program rather than a non-flexible one, the municipality: (i) invests in recycling capacity under circumstances where it would not do so otherwise; (ii) invests earlier; and (iii) benefits from a higher expected net present value.     

Using a risk-based approach to project scheduling: A case illustration from semiconductor manufacturing

This paper introduces a risk-based optimization method to schedule projects. The method uses risk mitigation and optimal control techniques to minimize variables such as the project duration or the cost estimate at completion. Mitigation actions reduce the risk impacts that may affect the system. A model predictive control approach is used to determine the set of mitigation actions to be executed and the time in which they are taken. A real-life project in the field of semiconductor manufacturing has been taken as an example to show the benefits of the method in a deterministic case and a Monte Carlo simulation has also been carried out.     

A stochastic programming model for water resource planning

A framework is offered for the evaluation of electricity generation and water supply for agricultural irrigation. This assessment is conducted through the construction of an appropriate stochastic optimization model. A recursive least squares algorithm is incorporated in the model which enables more accurate estimation of model parameters.     

An application of a hybrid approach to modeling a flexible manufacturing system

Both analytic and simulation models were used to analyze the capabilities and requirements of an automated circuit card manufacturing system. Analytic models were used to determine the sensitivity of the measures of effectiveness (MOEs) to various design parameters. This analysis gave approximate results and bounded the range of input parameters for the simulation model. A detailed simulation model was required for use during both the design and production phases of the project. This simulation model incorporated only those variables to which the MOEs are most sensitive, and provided additional features to observe system behavior. The benefits and appropriate uses for each class of models are discussed.     

北京市固体废弃物产生的需求驱动因素研究——基于投入产出模型

基于引入废弃物产生的投入产出模型,从最终需求视角对2007、2010和2012年北京市典型固体废弃物产生的驱动因素进行实证分析.结果表明:秸秆产生的驱动因素由市内消费转变为调出,调出驱动产生的秸秆由2007年的20%增加到2012年的70%;一般工业固体废弃物产生的驱动因素主要是调出,产生的废弃物由2007年的36%增加到2012年的81%;建筑垃圾产生的驱动因素主要是投资,产生的建筑垃圾居高不下,2007年和2012年均达总量的91%;生活垃圾产生的驱动因素主要是调出和消费,其中调出驱动产生的生活垃圾由2007年的38%增加到2012年的49%,市内消费驱动产生的生活垃圾稳定在30%左右.     

Mathematical modelling and optimisation of a waste water treatment plant by combined oxygen electrode and biological waste water treatment model

Structured mathematical models of oxygen electrode and biological waste water treatment were combined to optimise the position of electrode in the bioreactor. Parameters sensibility testing of mathematical model has shown that the model was most sensitive to the change of these parameters (in decreasing order of significance): oxygen consumption per unit of BOD_5, specific consumption rate of adsorbed BOD₅, volumetric coefficient of oxygen transfer rate (k_La), and waste water inflow. Two positions of electrode were tested: in the bioreactor and in the bioreactors syphon outlet shaft. Results obtained for the exchange of the oxic/anoxic phase and sludge recycling plant indicated that a reduction of electrical power for the aeration could be achieved if O₂ electrode is placed in the bioreactor tank, compared to position in outlet shaft. Better positioning of electrode has resulted in shortening of the oxic/anoxic cycle by 13% and the daily working time of aerators for 0.5 h per day, respectively. In the same time, the number of oxic/anoxic cycles per day was increased by 29%. In addition, results obtained by mathematical modelling indicated no debasement of chemical composition in out coming purified water if new position will be used.     

低碳电网扩张策略:以南方电网公司为例

研究了需求随机环境下电力企业关于电源建设与电力调度的最优决策;考虑电源机组的能源结构约束与运营发电期内的碳排放总量约束,构建了以总成本最小化为目标的带补偿二阶段随机规划模型;定性分析了模型的最优解与装机容量等其它参数之间的联系;以南方电网公司为例,基于真实的数据并考虑政府的规划建议与企业自身的低碳化发展要求,利用情景生成法求解随机规划模型。结果反映了电力系统发展过程中环保绩效与总成本之间的矛盾之外,为企业在实践运作中计划期的电力建设决策以及运营期的发电决策提供了一些有价值的建议。     

政府奖励对报废汽车回收模式选择的作用机制研究——基于企业社会责任视角

随着我国报废汽车数量的增多,由其造成的交通隐患、环境污染和资源浪费已成为重要社会问题,而如何设计合理可行的回收模式成为解决问题的关键。以制造商主导为前提,提出了基于企业社会责任的报废汽车回收模型,构建了制造商回收、销售商回收和第三方回收模式下的回收流程和数学模型,通过实例对考虑和不考虑企业社会责任两种情况下的回收模型进行了分析,探讨了不同政府奖励下报废汽车回收模式的策略选择。通过研究发现:(1)不论是否考虑企业社会责任,随着政府奖励的增加,制造商最终都会选择由自己进行回收;(2)当考虑企业社会责任时,政府奖励和决策者经济责任偏好都会导致决策的改变,随着政府奖励和赋予经济责任权重的同步增加,制造商的决策由第三方企业回收模式或销售商回收模式变成了制造商回收模式,表明政府奖励和企业社会责任对报废汽车回收模式选择具有显著影响。     

Optimizing base station location and configuration in UMTS networks

Radio planning and coverage optimization are critical issues when deploying and expanding third generation cellular systems. We investigate mixed integer programming models for locating and configuring base stations in UMTS networks so as to maximize coverage and minimize installation costs. The overall model considers both uplink and downlink directions, that we studied separately in Amaldi et al. (2002, 2003b). The two-stage Tabu Search algorithm we propose exploits solutions of a simplified model for the uplink direction to drastically reduce the computational time required to find good approximate solutions of the overall uplink and downlink model.Computational results obtained for realistic instances %with voice as well as data traffic are reported and discussed. Research carried out within the national project “Optimization, simulation and complexity in the design and management of telecommunication networks”funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Scientific Research (MIUR).     

An adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm for a selective and periodic inventory routing problem

We study a selective and periodic inventory routing problem (SPIRP) and develop an Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) algorithm for its solution. The problem concerns a biodiesel production facility collecting used vegetable oil from sources, such as restaurants, catering companies and hotels that produce waste vegetable oil in considerable amounts. The facility reuses the collected waste oil as raw material to produce biodiesel. It has to meet certain raw material requirements either from daily collection, or from its inventory, or by purchasing virgin oil. SPIRP involves decisions about which of the present source nodes to include in the collection program, and which periodic (weekly) routing schedule to repeat over an infinite planning horizon. The objective is to minimize the total collection, inventory and purchasing costs while meeting the raw material requirements and operational constraints. A single-commodity flow-based mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model was proposed for this problem in an earlier study. The model was solved with 25 source nodes on a 7-day cyclic planning horizon. In order to tackle larger instances, we develop an ALNS algorithm that is based on a rich neighborhood structure with 11 distinct moves tailored to this problem. We demonstrate the performance of the ALNS, and compare it with the MILP model on test instances containing up to 100 source nodes.     

A web-based decision support system for waste lube oils collection and recycling

This paper presents a web-based decision support system (DSS) that enables schedulers to tackle reverse supply chain management problems interactively. The focus is on the efficient and effective management of waste lube oils collection and recycling operations. The emphasis is given on the systemic dimensions and modular architecture of the proposed DSS. The latter incorporates intra- and inter-city vehicle routing with real-life operational constraints using shortest path and sophisticated hybrid metaheuristic algorithms. It is also integrated with an Enterprise Resource Planning system allowing the utilization of particular functional modules and the combination with other peripheral planning tools. Furthermore, the proposed DSS provides a framework for on-line monitoring and reporting to all stages of the waste collection processes. The system is developed using a web architecture that enables sharing of information and algorithms among multiple sites, along with wireless telecommunication facilities. The application to an industrial environment showed improved productivity and competitiveness, indicating its applicability on realistic reverse logistical planning problems.     

基于AHP和区间数排序可能度法的工程项目综合评标法研究

分析了建设项目现有评标方法,根据已有文献资料和评标办法建立了综合评估法评标指标体系.引入区间数排序可能度法的基本原理,建立了工程项目综合评估法模型.首先运用AHP法确定各指标的权重,根据各评标专家给出的区间数建立初始决策矩阵;然后按照区间数运算法则确定各投标文件的综合评标值,并由投标文件可能度矩阵的排序向量确定中标人.最后,举例应用了该模型,表明了模型的实用性和可操作性.