An Analytic Hierarchy Process Method to Evaluate Environmental Impacts of In Situ Oil Shale Mining

Abstract

The great demand for oil shale resource development and the corresponding threats to the environment have resulted in the urgent need to assess the impact of oil shale in situ mining on the environment. In this paper, based on an analysis method developed by the previous literature and the Delphi technique, three secondary indicators and ten tertiary indicators were selected. The weights of the indicators at all levels were subsequently calculated. The results identify environmental capacity, groundwater risk and prevention, and cleaner production as having the largest weights in the indicator system. Following this, the typical three-level indicators with the largest weight and content related to carbon emissions were introduced in detail, and combined with the calculated weight of each indicator, the comprehensive evaluation index method was used to determine the comprehensive evaluation model for the environmental impact of oil shale in situ mining. The comprehensive evaluation model value, PA, of the target layer (the primary indicator) under two different heating methods, combustion heating and electric heating, were then calculated based on the oil shale in situ mining area in Fuyu City, Jilin Province, China. This study introduces carbon-emission-related elements into the three-level indicator evaluation calculation model, which is a more accurate and advanced comprehensive evaluation method.