Graphical Methodology of Global Pollution Index for the Environmental Impact Assessment Using Two Environmental Components

Corneliu Cojocaru, Diana Mariana Cocârţă, Irina Aura Istrate and Igor Creţescu
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Corneliu Cojocaru: “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41A, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Diana Mariana Cocârţă: Department of Energy Production and Use, Splaiul Independentei No. 313, Faculty of Power Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 006042 Bucharest, Romania
Irina Aura Istrate: Department of Biotechnical Systems, Splaiul Independentei No. 313, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 006042 Bucharest, Romania
Igor Creţescu: “Gh Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Department of Environmental Engineering & Management, 73, Bd. D. Mangeron, 700050 Iasi, Romania

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: One of the applied methods for environmental impact assessment is the index of global pollution ( I GP ) proposed by Rojanschi in 1991. This methodology enables the global estimation for the ecosystem state affected more or less by human activities. Unfortunately, Rojanschi’s method has a limitation; it can be applied only if at least three environmental components are considered. Frequently, many environmental impact assessment applications rely on analysis of only two environmental components. Therefore, this work aimed to develop a new graphical method to extend Rojanschi’s approach for the case of two environmental components. The proposed method avoids the average value of evaluation grades and uses only the graphical correspondence for calculation of the index of global pollution. A right-angle triangle graph methodology was proposed, where bases represented the values of evaluation grades. Thus, for the case of two environmental components, the index of global pollution was calculated as the relation between the ideal and real ecosystem states represented by the ratio between areas of external and enclosed right triangles. The developed graphical method was tested and validated for real case studies: the environmental impact assessment from a refinery located on the Romanian Black Sea Coast considering Air and Water environmental components and from a coal-fired thermoelectric power plant from Eastern Romania regarding Air and Soil environmental components. In this way, it was provided a reliable and faster tool to be used for the pollution characterization of human-derived chemicals for better decisions in risk management.

Keywords: index of global pollution; environment; impact assessment; graphical method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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