Technology evaluation and decision making for sustainability enhancement of industrial systems under uncertainty

Technology‐based sustainability enhancement is a key approach for industrial sustainability realization. However, identification of effective technologies for any industrial system could be very challenging. If the available data and information about the industrial system and technologies are incomplete, imprecise, and uncertain, then technology identification could be very difficult. In this article, the authors introduce a simple, yet systematic interval‐parameter‐based methodology for identifying quickly superior solutions under uncertainty for sustainability performance improvement. The methodology is general enough for the study of sustainability enhancement problems of any size and scope. A case study on sustainable development of biodiesel manufacturing demonstrates methodological efficacy. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1841–1852, 2012