A Novel Multiobjective Decision-Making Model to Design a Resilient-Circular Agricultural Waste Management Network Under Uncertainty

This research aims to optimally design a waste management network (WMN) for the agricultural sector, considering the circular economy (CE) and resilience dimensions. The principles of CE are integrated by repurposing agricultural waste for compost production, recovering it for biofuel production as renewable energy, reusing it as animal feed, and recycling it into paper. The concept of resilience is also incorporated through node criticality and the use of substitute products, ensuring the supply chain remains adaptable and robust in the face of disruptions. Taking into account sunflowers as a case product, this study proposes a multiobjective decision-making (MODM) model to design their WMN. On the other hand, the fuzzy robust optimization (FRO) method is implemented in the model to tackle the problem’s technical uncertainty. Finally, to address the proposed MODM model, a new solution approach called multichoice interactive weighted tchebycheff goal programming (MCIWTGP) is developed. A case study problem is then investigated along with a set of sensitivity analyses to validate the applicability of the suggested methodology. The results indicate that the proposed model is capable of achieving a high profitability level while maintaining a service level of 9.9 and limiting the number of critical nodes to only 7 within the designed WMN. Furthermore, increasing demand leads to a decrease in profit and service levels while increasing the number of critical nodes. In contrast, an increase in initial waste availability enhances profit and service levels and reduces the number of critical nodes. Moreover, expanding processing center capacity positively impacts profit and service levels and decreases network criticality.