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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
71

Um modelo computacional baseado em análise de decisão multicritério para priorização na alocação de recursos: uma aplicação ao caso das comunidades ribeirinhas da cidade de Coari-AM

Magalhães, Elionai de Souza 04 March 2016 (has links)
Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-06-13T13:42:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Elionai de Souza Magalhães_.pdf: 2039789 bytes, checksum: 5d3f44b9164f4c68bcb09e63c3a2dda0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-13T13:42:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Elionai de Souza Magalhães_.pdf: 2039789 bytes, checksum: 5d3f44b9164f4c68bcb09e63c3a2dda0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-04 / IFAM - Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Amazonas / A responsabilidade de tomar decisões em si não é fácil, e quando está relacionada à gestão de recursos na área pública é uma tarefa ainda mais difícil, pois está ligada a um alto nível de complexidade. Neste trabalho, é apresentado um modelo computacional baseado em análise de decisão multicritério para a priorização da alocação de recursos financeiros para as comunidades ribeirinhas da região de Coari, Amazonas. Com o surgimento da Pesquisa Operacional, foi possível o desenvolvimento de métodos que auxiliam os tomadores de decisão no que se refere à avaliação e escolha em ambientes que envolvem multicritérios. É o caso da gestão pública, cuja decisão sobre a alocação de recursos passa pela análise de diversos critérios. As técnicas de decisão multicritério, aliadas às novas tecnologias de informação e comunicação, possibilitam novas formas de conhecimento e maior qualidade em diversos serviços. O emprego destas tecnologias no desenvolvimento de ferramentas de auxílio à decisão para a alocação de recursos é de grande utilidade, tendo em vista a automação no processo de análise e rapidez na obtenção dos resultados, possibilitando agilidade na tomada de decisão. Neste trabalho, é desenvolvido um modelo computacional baseado na técnica de Auxílio à Decisão Multicritério para ajudar na alocação de recursos públicos em comunidades ribeirinhas do Amazonas. O modelo emprega a técnica TOPSIS de análise multicritério com o intuito de obter um ranking das comunidades, para assim indicar aquela com maior grau de prioridade para receber a alocação de recursos públicos. Os experimentos foram realizados assumindo um conjunto de seis critérios empregados na ordenação de oito regiões de comunidades ribeirinhas. No estudo realizado, a lista de priorização indicou a região de comunidades do Baixo Solimões como a prioritária para a alocação de recursos públicos e a robustez da priorização obtida na aplicação efetuada foi avaliada através da realização de uma análise de sensibilidade. / The responsibility of making decisions itself is not easy, and when it is related to the management of resources in the public sector is an even more difficult task, because it is linked to a high level of complexity. In this paper, we present a computational model based on multi-criteria decision analysis to prioritize the allocation of financial resources to the coastal communities of Coari region of Amazonas. With the emergence of Operational Research, development methods was possible that assist decision makers with regard to the evaluation and choice in environments that involve advanced. This is the case of public administration, whose decision on the allocation of resources involves the analysis of various criteria. The techniques of multi-criteria decision, combined with the new technologies of information and communication, enable new forms of knowledge and higher quality in different services. The use of these technologies in the development of the decision support tools for the allocation of resources is useful in view of automation in the process of analysis and speed in obtaining results, enabling agility in decision making. In this work, we developed a computational model based on the technique of Aid to Decision Multicriteria to assist in the allocation of public resources in riverine communities of Amazonas. The model uses the TOPSIS technique of multi-criteria analysis in order to obtain a ranking of the communities, so as to indicate that more priority to receive the allocation of public resources. The experiments were performed assuming a set of six criteria used in the ordination of eight regions of riverside communities. In the study, the list of priority indicated the region of the Lower Solimões communities as a priority for the allocation of public resources and the robustness of the obtained priority in the application made was assessed by performing a sensitivity analysis.
72

Využití metod vícekriteriálního hodnocení variant ke komparaci podnikatelských úvěrů

DVOŘÁK, Tomáš January 2019 (has links)
Many entrepreneurs and companies use loans to cover their business needs. Usually it is difficult to choose the best offer. The possible solution is the utilization of methods of multiple-criteria decision-making, which make the decision process easier. The goal of this thesis is to describe these methods and use them practically to choose the best loan offer. It was found out that most of the companies do not use these methods. The results are usually significantly affected by the criterion which was the most preferred. For the most of the companies the offer made by MONETA Money Bank, a.s. was the most favourable.
73

Priorização de projetos de TI utilizando metodologia multicritério: proposta para o comitê de TI de uma empresa de transporte de gás

Souza, Leandro Peçanha de 05 April 2016 (has links)
Submitted by Marcia Silva (marcia@latec.uff.br) on 2016-10-07T19:57:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Disssert Leandro Peçanha de Souza.pdf: 11466487 bytes, checksum: 099df51af11e59887ad31dab009228a8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-01-26T12:26:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Disssert Leandro Peçanha de Souza.pdf: 11466487 bytes, checksum: 099df51af11e59887ad31dab009228a8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-26T12:26:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Disssert Leandro Peçanha de Souza.pdf: 11466487 bytes, checksum: 099df51af11e59887ad31dab009228a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-05 / A alta concorrência e a necessidade crescente de melhores resultados com recursos cada vez mais reduzidos impõem que as empresas selecionem e invistam em projetos que tenham maior potencial para gerar vantagem competitiva. O Comitê de TI (Tecnologia da Informação) é uma das estruturas de Governança de TI mais elementares e utilizadas nas organizações para potencializar o desempenho da TI, sendo que uma das suas principais atribuições consiste em priorizar os projetos de TI. Definir com clareza um portfólio alinhado aos objetivos estratégicos, não levando em conta somente fatores financeiros ou exclusivamente técnicos, é um problema de decisão multicritério complexo. Este estudo pretende demonstrar a utilização de uma metodologia de Apoio Multicritério à Decisão (AMD) através da aplicação de um método híbrido composto pelo AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) e TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), que permitirá ordenar (ranking) os projetos de investimento do portfólio da TI / The high competition and growing need for the best results with increasingly limited resources require companies to select and invest in projects that have the greatest potential to create a competitive advantage. The IT Committee (Information Technology) is one of the most basic IT Governance structures and is used in organizations to enhance IT performance, since one of its main attributes is prioritizing IT projects. Clearly defining a portfolio aligned to strategic objectives, taking into account not only financial or purely technical factors, is a complex multi-criteria problem for decision-making. This study aims to demonstrate the use of a Multi-criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) methodology, by applying a hybrid method composed of the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), which will allow for sorting (ranking) IT portfolio investment projects
74

Utilization and Comparison of Multi Attribute Decision Making Techniques to Rank Bayesian Network Options

Karami, Amin January 2011 (has links)
A fusion system sometimes requires the capability to represent the temporal changes of uncertain sensory information in dynamic and uncertain situation. A Bayesian Network can construct a coherent fusion structure with the hypothesis node which cannot be observed directly and sensors through a number of intermediate nodes that are interrelated by cause and effect. In some BN applications for observing a hypothesis node with the number of participated sensors, rank and select the appropriate options (different combination of sensors allocation) in the decision-making is a challenging problem. By user interaction, we can acquire more and useful information through multi-criteria decision aid (MCDA) as semi-automatically decision support. So in this study, Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM) techniques as TOPSIS, SAW, and Mixed (Rank Average) for decision-making as well as AHP and Entropy for obtaining the weights of indexes have been used. Since MADM techniques have most probably different results according to different approaches and assumptions in the same problem, statistical analysis done on them. According to results, the correlation between applied techniques for ranking BN options is strong and positive because of the close proximity of weights suggested by AHP and Entropy. Mixed method as compared to TOPSIS and SAW is ideal techniques; moreover, AHP is more acceptable than Entropy for weighting of indexes.
75

Aplikace metod vícekriteriálního hodnocení variant při výběru zaměstnanců / Aplication of multicriteria evaluation of alternatives in recruitment process

Doležel, Tomáš January 2007 (has links)
The thesis describes the application of several methods of multicriterial evaluation of alternatives (MEoA) in various phases of the recruitment process for the position Corporate Account Manager in Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, a.s. In the first round, the group of all enrolled candidates is reduced using aspiration levels. In the second round, this narrowed down group goes through the Assessment Centre. Using other methods of MEoA, the most suitable candidate for the position is chosen.
76

Analýza investic do energetických zdrojů / Analysis of investment in energy resources

Petríková, Tereza January 2009 (has links)
Diploma thesis deals with analysis of energy resources. The aim is to map the potential of renewable resources in the Czech Republic and through multicriteria decision making to assess the potential investment options in renewable energy in the Czech Republic.
77

Energy and Water Usage in the Manufacturing Industry : A study case to analyse, compare and decide where to reduce energy and water utilization

López, Jorge, Rincón Franco, Yully Constanza January 2020 (has links)
Increasing concern about global climate change has led to a growing interest in energy usage and water consumption. It is well known that changes in consumption habits lead to more efficient use of energy and water sources. Nowadays, globalization, environmental concerns, and the shortage of resources have led to an increase of stakeholder pressure on companies to expand their focus to sustainability. Also, the high impact that the savings can have in the financial status of the company. It is encouraging the headboards to study and improve the ways water and energy are being used within the processes. Significant economic savings and benefits for the environment could be achieved with slight changes in the company. As an overview, this project starts with the extraction of data from a platform for energy management in an industrial company. Then, it goes through the understanding of the energy and water usage data set. Later, a methodology to handle and process the data will be set. It is intending to extract relevant information using clustering. The idea is to compare the usage profiles between different factories, using key performance indicators and reducing the initial data set. Once the benchmarking is performed, some critical parameters will be selected to support the decision-making process related to investments to reduce the energy usage and water consumption in a specific location. Finally, the case of study will be implemented with the measurements from Alfa Laval. We will study how, from daily measurements with a very low investment and using the proper algorithms and methodologies, the main behaviours and features in an industrial location can be extracted from the utilization data. These characteristics can be used to develop strategies or productions schemes based on the interests of the energy manager and the company.
78

Redesigning the Barranquilla's public emergency care network to improve the patient waiting time

Ortíz Barrios, Miguel Ángel 27 November 2020 (has links)
[ES] La oportunidad en la atención es uno de los críticos de mayor relevancia en la satisfacción de los pacientes que acuden a los servicios de Urgencias. Por tal motivo, las instituciones prestadoras de servicio y las organizaciones gubernamentales deben propender conjuntamente por una atención cada vez más oportuna a costos operacionales razonables. En el caso de la Red Pública en Servicios de Urgencias de Barrannquilla, compuesta por 8 puntos de atención y 2 hospitales, la tendencia marca un continuo crecimiento de la oportunidad en la atención con una tasa de 3,08 minutos/semestre y una probabilidad del 93,13% de atender a los pacientes después de una espera mayor a 30 minutos. Lo anterior se constituye en un síntoma inequívoco de la incapacidad de la Red para satisfacer los estándares de oportunidad establecidos por el Ministerio de Salud, hecho que podría desencadenar el desarrollo de sintomatologías de mayor complejidad, el incremento de la probabilidad de mortalidad, el requerimiento de servicios clínicos más complejos (hospitalización y cuidados intensivos) y el aumento de los costos asociados al servicio. En consecuencia, la presente tesis doctoral presenta el rediseño de la Red Pública en Servicios de Urgencias anteriormente mencionada a fin de otorgar a la población diana un servicio eficiente y altamente oportuno donde tanto las instituciones prestadoras del servicio como los organismos gubernamentales converjan efectivamente. Para ello, fue necesaria la ejecución de 4 grandes fases a través de las cuales se consolidó una propuesta orientada al desarrollo efectivo y sostenible de las operaciones de la Red. Primero, se caracterizó la Red Pública de Servicios de Urgencias en Salud considerando su comportamiento actual en términos de demanda y oportunidad de la atención. Luego, a través de una revisión sistemática de la literatura, se identificaron los enfoques metodológicos que se han implementado para la mejora de la oportunidad y otros indicadores de rendimiento asociados al servicio de Urgencias. Posteriormente, se diseñó una metodología para la creación de redes de Urgencias eficientes y sostenibles la cual luego se validó en la Red Pública sudamericana a fin de disminuir la oportunidad de atención promedio en Urgencias y garantizar la distribución equitativa de los beneficios financieros derivados de la colaboración. Finalmente, se construyó un modelo multicriterio que permitió evaluar el rendimiento de los departamentos de Urgencia e impulsó la creación de estrategias de mejora focalizadas en incrementar su respuesta ante la demanda cambiante, los críticos de satisfacción y las condiciones de operación estipuladas en la ley. Los resultados de esta aplicación evidenciaron que los pacientes que acceden a la Red tienden a esperar en promedio 201,6 min con desviación de estándar de 81,6 min antes de ser atendidos por urgencia. Por otro lado, de acuerdo con la revisión de literatura, la combinación de técnicas de investigación de operaciones, ingeniería de la calidad y analítica de datos es ampliamente recomendada para abordar este problema. En ese sentido, una metodología basada en modelos colaterales de pago, simulación de procesos y lean seis sigma fue propuesta y validada generando un rediseño de Red cuya oportunidad de atención promedio podría disminuir entre 6,71 min y 9,08 min con beneficios financieros promedio de US$29,980/nodo. En último lugar, un modelo compuesto por 8 criterios y 35 sub-criterios fue diseñado para evaluar el rendimiento general de los departamentos de Urgencias. Los resultados del modelo evidenciaron el rol crítico de la infraestructura (Peso global = 21,5%) en el rendimiento de los departamentos de Urgencia y la naturaleza interactiva de la Seguridad del Paciente (C + R = 12,771). / [CA] L'oportunitat en l'atenció és un dels crítics de major rellevància en la satisfacció dels pacients que acudeixen als serveis d'Urgències. Per tal motiu, les institucions prestadores de servei i les organitzacions governamentals han de propendir conjuntament per una atenció cada vegada més oportuna a costos operacionals raonables. En el cas de la Xarxa Pública en Serveis d'Urgències de Barrannquilla, composta per 8 punts d'atenció i 2 hospitals, la tendència marca un continu creixement de l'oportunitat en l'atenció amb una taxa de 3,08 minuts / semestre i una probabilitat de l' 93,13% d'atendre els pacients després d'una espera major a 30 minuts. L'anterior es constitueix en un símptoma inequívoc de la incapacitat de la Xarxa per satisfer els estàndards d'oportunitat establerts pel Ministeri de Salut, fet que podria desencadenar el desenvolupament de simptomatologies de major complexitat, l'increment de la probabilitat de mortalitat, el requeriment de serveis clínics més complexos (hospitalització i cures intensives) i l'augment dels costos associats a el servei. En conseqüència, la present tesi doctoral presenta el redisseny de la Xarxa Pública en Serveis d'Urgències anteriorment esmentada a fi d'atorgar a la població diana un servei eficient i altament oportú on tant les institucions prestadores de el servei com els organismes governamentals convergeixin efectivament. Per a això, va ser necessària l'execució de 4 grans fases a través de les quals es va consolidar una proposta orientada a el desenvolupament efectiu i sostenible de les operacions de la Xarxa. Primer, es va caracteritzar la Xarxa Pública de Serveis d'Urgències en Salut considerant el seu comportament actual en termes de demanda i oportunitat de l'atenció. Després, a través d'una revisió sistemàtica de la literatura, es van identificar els enfocaments metodològics que s'han implementat per a la millora de l'oportunitat i altres indicadors de rendiment associats a el servei d'Urgències. Posteriorment, es va dissenyar una metodologia per a la creació de xarxes d'Urgències eficients i sostenibles la qual després es va validar a la Xarxa Pública sud-americana a fi de disminuir l'oportunitat d'atenció mitjana a Urgències i garantir la distribució equitativa dels beneficis financers derivats de la col´laboració. Finalment, es va construir un model multicriteri que va permetre avaluar el rendiment dels departaments d'Urgència i va impulsar la creació d'estratègies de millora focalitzades en incrementar la seva resposta davant la demanda canviant, els crítics de satisfacció i les condicions d'operació estipulades en la llei. Els resultats d'aquesta aplicació van evidenciar que els pacients que accedeixen a la Xarxa tendeixen a esperar de mitjana 201,6 min amb desviació d'estàndard de 81,6 min abans de ser atesos per urgència. D'altra banda, d'acord amb la revisió de literatura, la combinació de tècniques d'investigació d'operacions, enginyeria de la qualitat i analítica de dades és àmpliament recomanada per abordar aquest problema. En aquest sentit, una metodologia basada en models col´laterals de pagament, simulació de processos i llegeixin 6 sigma va ser proposada i validada generant un redisseny de Xarxa la oportunitat d'atenció mitjana podria disminuir entre 6,71 min i 9,08 min amb beneficis financers mitjana d'US $ 29,980 / node. En darrer lloc, un model compost per 8 criteris i 35 sub-criteris va ser dissenyat per avaluar el rendiment general dels departaments d'Urgències. Els resultats de el model evidenciar el paper crític de la infraestructura (Pes global = 21,5%) en el rendiment dels departaments d'Urgència i la naturalesa interactiva de la Seguretat de l'Pacient (C + R = 12,771). / [EN] Waiting time is one of the most critical measures in the satisfaction of patients admitted within emergency departments. Therefore, hospitals and governmental organizations should jointly aim to provide timely attention at reasonable costs. In the case of Barranquilla's Pubic Emergency Service Network, composed by 8 Points of care (POCs) and 2 hospitals, the trend evidences a continuous growing of the waiting time with a rate of 3,08 min/semester and a 93,13% likelihood of serving patients after waiting for more than 30 minutes. This is an unmistakable symptom of the network inability for satisfying the standards established by the Ministry of Health, which may trigger the development of more complex symptoms, increase in the death rate, requirement for more complex clinical services (hospitalization and intensive care unit) and increased service costs. This doctoral dissertation then illustrates the redesign of the aforementioned Public Emergency Service Network aiming at providing the target population with an efficient and highly timely service where both hospitals and governmental institutions effectively converge. It was then necessary to implement a 4-phase methodology consolidating a proposal oriented to the effective and sustainable development of network operations. First, the Public Emergency Service Network was characterized considering its current behavior in terms of demand and waiting time. A systematic literature review was then undertaken for identifying the methodological approaches that have been implementing for improving the waiting time and other performance indicators associated with the emergency care service. Following this, a methodology for the creation of efficient and sustainable emergency care networks was designed and later validated in the Southamerican Public network for lessening the average waiting time and ensuring the equitable distribution of profits derived from the collaboration. Ultimately, a multicriteria decision-making model was created for assessing the performance of the emergency departments and propelling the design of improvement strategies focused on bettering the response against the changing demand conditions, critical to satisfaction and operational conditions. The results evidenced that the patients accessing to the network tend to wait 201,6 min on average with a standard deviation of 81,6 min before being served by the emergency care unit. On the other hand, based on the reported literature, it is highly suggested to combine Operations Research (OR) methods, quality-based techniques, and data-driven approaches for addressing this problem. In this sense, a methodology based on collateral payment models, Discrete-event simulation, and Lean Six Sigma was proposed and validated resulting in a redesigned network whose average waiting time may diminish between 6,71 min and 9,08 min with an average profit US$29,980/node. Lately, a model comprising of 8 criteria and 35 sub-criteria was designed for evaluating the overall performance of emergency departments. The model outcomes revealed the critical role of Infrastructure (Global weight = 21,5%) in ED performance and the interactive nature of Patient Safety (C + R = 12,771). / Ortíz Barrios, MÁ. (2020). Redesigning the Barranquilla's public emergency care network to improve the patient waiting time [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/156215 / TESIS
79

[en] MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION OF INNOVATIVE CAPACITY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES: APPLICATION OF FUZZY MULTI-CRITERIA METHODS FOR DECISION SUPPORT / [pt] MENSURAÇÃO E AVALIAÇÃO DA CAPACIDADE INOVATIVA DE MICRO, PEQUENAS E MÉDIAS EMPRESAS: APLICAÇÃO DE MÉTODOS MULTICRITÉRIO FUZZY DE APOIO À DECISÃO

JOSE EDUARDO DE OLIVEIRA TRINDADE 14 March 2017 (has links)
[pt] Na perspectiva de estimular o aprimoramento do processo de gestão da inovação pelas micro, pequenas e médias empresas (MPMEs) brasileiras e contribuir para formulação ou revisão de políticas públicas de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (CTeI) voltadas para esse segmento, a presente dissertação tem como objetivo geral propor um modelo para monitorar e avaliar a capacidade inovativa de MPMEs. A pesquisa pode ser considerada descritiva, metodológica e aplicada. A partir dos resultados da revisão bibliográfica e documental sobre os temas centrais da pesquisa, desenvolveu-se um modelo para mensuração e avaliação da capacidade inovativa de MPMEs, com base na integração de dois métodos multicritério fuzzy de apoio à decisão – Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) e Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS). Visando demonstrar a aplicabilidade desse modelo no contexto das MPMEs e explicitar seus diferenciais metodológicos em comparação a outros métodos de apoio à decisão, não combinados com a teoria de conjuntos fuzzy, realizou-se um estudo junto a 15 MPMEs participantes do Programa NAGI da PUC-Rio. Destacam-se como principais contribuições da pesquisa um modelo para mensuração e avaliação da capacidade inovativa de MPMEs, que considera a complexidade, subjetividade e incerteza como características inerentes a essa atividade, e um conjunto de indicadores compostos associados às três dimensões de capacidade inovativa contempladas no modelo proposto. / [en] From the perspective of stimulating the improvement of the process of innovation management by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and contributing to the formulation or review of public policies concerning the area of Science, Technology and Innovation (CTandI), focusing on this segment, the aim of the dissertation is to propose a model to monitor and evaluate the innovative capacity of MSMEs. This research can be classified as descriptive, methodological and applied. From the bibliographic and documentary review on the central themes of the research, a model was developed to measure and evaluate the innovative capacity of MSMEs based on the integration of two fuzzy multi-criteria methods of decision support - Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS). Aiming to demonstrate the applicability of this model in the context of MSMEs and to explicit its methodological differentials in comparison to other methods for measuring the innovative capacity of enterprises, an empirical study with 15 MSMEs participants of the NAGI Program at PUC-Rio was carried out during the applied phase of this research. The main contributions are a model for measuring and evaluating the innovative capacity of MSMEs, which considers the complexity, subjectivity, and uncertainty as characteristics inherent to these activities, and a set of composed indicators associated with the three dimensions of the innovative capacity considered in the proposed model.
80

Investigation of New Forward Osmosis Draw Agents and Prioritization of Recent Developments of Draw Agents Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Yu, Jodie Wei 01 June 2020 (has links) (PDF)
Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging technology for water treatment due to their ability to draw freshwater using an osmotic pressure gradient across a semi-permeable membrane. However, the lack of draw agents that could both produce reasonable flux and be separated from the draw solution at a low cost stand in the way of widespread implementation. This study had two objectives: evaluate the performance of three materials — peptone, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) — as potential draw agents, and to use multi-criteria decision matrices to systematically prioritize known draw agents from literature for research investigation. Peptone showed water flux and reverse solute flux values comparable to other organic draw agents. CMC’s high viscosity made it impractical to use and is not recommended as a draw agent. Fe3O4 NPs showed average low fluxes (e.g., 2.14 LMH) but discrete occurrences of high flux values (e.g., 14 LMH) were observed during FO tests. This result indicates that these nanoparticles have potential as draw agents but further work is needed to optimize the characteristics of the nanoparticle suspension. Separation of the nanoparticles from the product water using coagulation was shown to be theoretically possible if only electrostatic and van der Waals forces are taken into account, not steric repulsion. If coagulation is to be considered for separation, research efforts on development of nanoparticle suspensions as FO draw agents should focus on development of electrostatically stabilized nanoparticles. A combination of Fe3O4 NP and peptone showed a higher flux than Fe3O4 NPs alone, but did not produce additive or synergistic flux. This warrants further research to investigate more combinations of draw agents to achieve higher flux than that obtained by individual draw agents. Potential draw agents were prioritized by conducting a literature review of draw agents, extracting data on evaluation criteria for draw agents developed over the past five years, using these data to rank the draw agents using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions (TOPSIS). The evaluation criteria used in the ranking matrices were water flux, reverse solute flux, replenishment cost, regeneration cost, and regeneration efficacy. The results showed that the top five ranked draw agents were P-2SO3-2Na, TPHMP-Na, PEI-600P-Na, NaCl, and NH4-CO2. The impact of the assumption made during the multi-criteria decision analysis process was evaluated through sensitivity analyses altering criterion weighting and including more criteria. This ranking system provided recommendations for future research and development on draw agents by highlighting research gaps.

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