Energy Efficiency Drivers in Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Double Bootstrap DEA Analysis

Andrea Guerrini, Giulia Romano and Alessandro Indipendenza
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Andrea Guerrini: Department of Business Administration, University of Verona, Via Cantarane, 24, 37129 Verona, Italy
Alessandro Indipendenza: Department of Business Administration, University of Verona, Via Cantarane, 24, 37129 Verona, Italy

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: The relevance of wastewater treatment service has increased in recent years, since it has a significant impact on the natural environment. A treatment plant facilitates energy generation, the recovery of products from waste, and the reuse of wastewater for industrial and irrigation purposes. An indirect environmental effect is the high energy consumption for pumping water and for tank aeration. The objective of this research is to develop a tool for measuring the energy costs of wastewater treatment plants and identifying how they can be reduced. The method adopted is double-bootstrap data envelopment analysis. The results show that the variables with a significant influence on efficiency are the chemical oxygen demand concentration; plant capacity; rate of used capacity, which positively affects efficiency; weight of industrial customers, which exerts a negative impact; and aeration system, with a negative impact for turbines. This paper suggests the adoption of an effective control tool to monitor the costs drivers and energy expenditure of water utilities.

Keywords: water utilities; wastewater treatment; energy cost; performance; efficiency; treatment plant (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 references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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