A NOVEL HYBRID DECISION-MAKING MODEL: FUZZY AHP-TOPSIS APPROACH FOR PRIORITISING COPPER SMELTING PROCESSES

The construction of a copper smelting facility and its undisturbed and profitable business undoubtedly contribute to the development of each country’s economy. These facilities employ many workers and produce a large amount of copper, reducing imports and dependence on this important raw material, thereby improving the economic situation in a given country. More than a hundred copper smelters operate worldwide, many of which use different types of copper extraction processes. Strict legislation relating to ecology and environmental protection as well as stakeholder involvement in selecting and constructing copper smelting facilities limit the maximisation of short-term economic objectives. The prioritisation of technological processes for the extraction of copper must consider the impacts of often mutually opposing economic, technical and environmental objectives. No research from the available literature analyses the economic, technical and environmental parameters systematically. Studies have mainly dealt with exploring individual influences of factors through the use of one selection method. This paper presents the development of a novel hybrid AHP-TOPSIS model in fuzzy environments that will provide both informative decisions and optimum results of decision making.