A PSR-AHP-GE model for evaluating environmental impacts of spoil disposal areas in high-speed railway engineering

Abstract

Spoil disposal areas (SDA) in high-speed railway engineering severely threat the surrounding environmental system. To comprehensively understand SDA's environmental impacts, this study developed an environmental impact assessment model for SDA by integrating the Pressure-State-Response model (PSR), the Analytic Hierarchy Process model (AHP), and the Grey Euclid model (GE). In the proposed model, 24 indicators are firstly selected in terms of pressures, states, and responses. Then, the AHP model is used to determine the indictor weights and the GE model is employed to determine the environmental impact level of the given SDA site. The developed model is validated through a case study in China and results show that the model can accurately and comprehensively reflect the actual environmental impacts of SDA. This is pertinent to designers, contractors, and governments who have been seeking solutions to achieve cleaner production in high-speed railway engineering.