Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation
Pollution of the environment by metals and organic contaminants is an intractable global problem, with cleanup costs running into billions of dollars using current engineering technologies. The availability of alternative, cheap and effective technologies would significantly improve the prospects of...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Artículo preliminar |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2005
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/160652 |
| _version_ | 1855535124110639104 |
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| author | Linacre, Nicholas A. Whiting, Steven N. Angle, J. Scott |
| author_browse | Angle, J. Scott Linacre, Nicholas A. Whiting, Steven N. |
| author_facet | Linacre, Nicholas A. Whiting, Steven N. Angle, J. Scott |
| author_sort | Linacre, Nicholas A. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Pollution of the environment by metals and organic contaminants is an intractable global problem, with cleanup costs running into billions of dollars using current engineering technologies. The availability of alternative, cheap and effective technologies would significantly improve the prospects of cleaning-up metal contaminated sites. Phytoremediation has been proposed as an economical and ‘green’ method of exploiting plants to extract or degrade the contaminants in the soil. To date, the majority of phytoremediation efforts have been directed at leaping the biological, biochemical and agronomic hurdles to deliver a working technology, with scant attention to the economic outlook other than simple estimates of the cost advantages of phytoremediation over other techniques. In this paper we use a deterministic actuarial model to show that uncertainty in project success (the possibility that full clean up may not be realized) may significantly increase the perceived costs of remediation works for decision-makers. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace160652 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2005 |
| publishDateRange | 2005 |
| publishDateSort | 2005 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1606522025-11-06T07:14:35Z Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation Linacre, Nicholas A. Whiting, Steven N. Angle, J. Scott biotechnology environmental remediation economic aspects industrial crops technology pollution bioremediation economic situation risk environmental impact Pollution of the environment by metals and organic contaminants is an intractable global problem, with cleanup costs running into billions of dollars using current engineering technologies. The availability of alternative, cheap and effective technologies would significantly improve the prospects of cleaning-up metal contaminated sites. Phytoremediation has been proposed as an economical and ‘green’ method of exploiting plants to extract or degrade the contaminants in the soil. To date, the majority of phytoremediation efforts have been directed at leaping the biological, biochemical and agronomic hurdles to deliver a working technology, with scant attention to the economic outlook other than simple estimates of the cost advantages of phytoremediation over other techniques. In this paper we use a deterministic actuarial model to show that uncertainty in project success (the possibility that full clean up may not be realized) may significantly increase the perceived costs of remediation works for decision-makers. 2005 2024-11-21T09:51:28Z 2024-11-21T09:51:28Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/160652 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Linacre, Nicholas A.; Whiting, Steven N.; Angle, J. Scott. Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation. EPTD Discussion Paper 132. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/160652 |
| spellingShingle | biotechnology environmental remediation economic aspects industrial crops technology pollution bioremediation economic situation risk environmental impact Linacre, Nicholas A. Whiting, Steven N. Angle, J. Scott Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation |
| title | Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation |
| title_full | Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation |
| title_fullStr | Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation |
| title_short | Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: illustrated using phytoremediation |
| title_sort | incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies illustrated using phytoremediation |
| topic | biotechnology environmental remediation economic aspects industrial crops technology pollution bioremediation economic situation risk environmental impact |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/160652 |
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