Assessment of waste gasification technology under data uncertainty

Innovative technologies are required to offset increasing consumption and declining stocks of non-renewable resources. Misleading estimates of pollution prevention, performance, and cost of promising new environmentally conscious technologies might result when process design and LCA methods do not account data variability and uncertainty. This research attempts to develop novel assessment methodology for evaluation of risks and potential pay-offs of new technologies that avoid pollutant production; and demonstrate the methodology via case study of gasification technology by simultaneous characterizing data variability and uncertainty. Thus, assessments of advanced process technologies that are in early developmental stages should be based on proper understanding and representation of uncertainties.