Papers by Saeed Solaymani
The well-known benchmark process for hydrodealkylation of toluene (HDA) to produce benzene is rev... more The well-known benchmark process for hydrodealkylation of toluene (HDA) to produce benzene is revisited in a multi-objective approach for identifying environmentally friendly and cost-effective operation solutions. The paper begins with the presentation of the numerical tools used in this work, i.e., a multi-objective genetic algorithm and a Multiple Choice Decision Making procedure. Then, two studies related to the energy source involved in the utility production system (UPS), either fuel oil or natural gas, of the HDA process are carried out. In each case, a multi-objective optimization problem based on the minimization of the total annual cost of the process and of five environmental burdens, that are Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential, Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential, Human Toxicity Potential and Eutrophication Potential, is solved and the best solution is identified by use of Multiple Choice Decision Making procedures. An assessment of the respective contribution of the HDA process and the UPS towards environmental impacts on the one hand, and of the environmental impacts generated by the main equipment items of the HDA process on the other hand is then performed to compare both solutions. This ''gate-to-gate'' environmental study is then enlarged by implementing a ''cradle-togate'' Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), for accounting of emission inventory and extraction. The use of a natural gas turbine, less economically efficient, turns out to be a more attractive alternative to meet the societal expectations concerning environment preservation and sustainable development.
Journal of Energy in Southern Africa
The main objective of this paper is the analysis of electricity consumption in Malaysia as a whol... more The main objective of this paper is the analysis of electricity consumption in Malaysia as a whole and its three regions, namely, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This analysis has been carried out using distinguished data in sectoral level for 44 quarters (2000Q1-2010Q4). For this purpose, two log-log static and dynamic panel demand functions are estimated. The dynamic model, which is based on a partial adjustment approach, is used to compare with the static model. The aggregate and the three regional models are estimated based on their economic sectors in both the dynamic and static methods. This study seeks to reveal some features of electricity consumption in Malaysia and its regions. It is found that the short and long-run price elasticities of electricity demand in all regions of Malaysia are inelastic. Consumers' responsiveness to changes in electricity prices in the short-run is low, while they have a high response to the long-run changes in the entire Malaysian economy and its regions. This means that, while the short and longrun price elasticities of electricity demand are lower than one, the magnitudes of the long-run elasticities are greater than the short-run elasticities. Moreover, all elasticities in the dynamic models are smaller than the static models. The estimated short and long-run cross-price elasticities of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) are negative which suggests that LPG and electricity are complementary goods.
Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Modeling, Simulation and Applied Mathematics, 2015
Malaysia has made a pledge to reduce its 2005 GDP emission intensity levels by up to 40% by 2020 ... more Malaysia has made a pledge to reduce its 2005 GDP emission intensity levels by up to 40% by 2020 as its contribution to combat climate change. One of the proposed policies to achieve this goal is carbon taxation. We used a computable general equilibrium model to analyse the results of three scenarios -the impact of an oil price shock, the implementing of the climate policy on the Malaysian economy and the oil price rise when the Malaysian climate policy is implemented. We also attempt to assess how these scenarios contribute to the mitigation of rebound effect. The Malaysian climate policy implies a gain on the Malaysian economy of around 0.8% of GDP. The oil price shock in the presence of the Malaysian climate policy implied an additional gain on it of 0.2% of GDP (making a total gain of 1% of GDP), but this is equal to the 1% of GDP that Malaysia would lose from the oil price rise in the absence of the climate policy. This is implying that the climate policy is a potential economic protection for Malaysia. The climate policy and oil price shock would lead to mitigation of rebound effect in Malaysian economy.
Travel Behaviour and Society, 2015
This study employs a multi-sector computable general equilibrium model to investigate the long-ru... more This study employs a multi-sector computable general equilibrium model to investigate the long-run impacts of three scenarios, namely high prices of petroleum products, energy subsidy reform and the combine of both, on the Malaysian transport sector. The long-run simulation results suggest that all shocks are beneficial for the entire economy because of the increase in real GDP and investment. The shocks encourage the reallocation of resources and therefore induce disparities in sectoral adjustments. All transport sectors, except water transport, gain from high petroleum prices due to the increase in their domestic output, domestic sales and exports, while they lose from the energy subsidy reform and the combined scenario. The shocks lead to significant changes in travel behaviour of all household types through a change in their use of transport sub-sectors. The combined scenario followed by the high petroleum price shock greatly reduces energy consumption and emissions of all air pollutants in the transport sectors. These findings enhance our understanding of the transport impact of oil price shocks and energy subsidy reform and should be of much interest to scholars, corporate executives, travel agencies, regulators, and policy makers.
Energy, 2015
This study examines the impact of carbon tax and its alternative, energy tax, on both the Malaysi... more This study examines the impact of carbon tax and its alternative, energy tax, on both the Malaysian economy and the transport sector, using a CGE (Computable General Equilibrium) framework. In order to achieve government revenue neutrality, two schemes for revenue recycling, namely lump-sum transfer and labour tax recycling, are employed. The simulation's results show that the carbon tax policy is more effective than the energy tax policy in reducing carbon emissions; because it is less expensive. The negative impact of the carbon tax, on real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and investment, is less than the energy tax in both recycling schemes. Through lump-sum transfer, both taxes lead to an increase in the consumption and welfare of households, because the tax interaction effect is less than the tax recycling effect; however, through labour tax recycling, they decrease the consumption and welfare of all household groups. These tax policies are not beneficial for the transportation sector, because they lead to decreases in domestic output, domestic demand, exports and imports of all transport sectors. The climate change policies would lead to mitigation of rebound effect in whole of the economy and the transport sector.
Environmental and economic effects of high petroleum prices on transport sector
Energy, 2013
Using Malaysia as a case study in comparison with other studies that apply aggregate models, this... more Using Malaysia as a case study in comparison with other studies that apply aggregate models, this study employs a multi-sector CGE model (computable general equilibrium) to derive the short-run and long-run effects of sustained increase in world petroleum prices on the transport sector. Since the transport sector is the main consumer of petroleum products, the study highlights the transmission channels through which the rising cost of petroleum products affects this sector in particular. The simulation results suggest that in the short-run, the effects of the shock are negative towards the economy and the transportation sector, but it will eventually encourage the reallocation of resources and, therefore, induces inequality in sectoral adjustments. However, in the long-run, the shock will be beneficial for the transportation sector because it will contribute to an increase in domestic output and stimulate investment. In the whole of the economy and all transportation sectors, the shock will lead to an increase in the emissions of all air pollutants in the short-run while it decreases them in the long-run.
Adoption and use of e-commerce in SMEs
Electronic Commerce Research, 2012
In this study, nonlinear Logit and probit models are used to analyse the important factors that i... more In this study, nonlinear Logit and probit models are used to analyse the important factors that impact on the tendency of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to use electronic commerce in one of the industrial parks in Kermanshah province of Iran. Furthermore, it identifies the major barriers of e-commerce adoption in these SMEs. The Sample of the study includes 35 SMEs in this province. The results of probit and Logit models suggest that a lower level of the internet service costs, motivates firms to adopt e-commerce. In addition, if the government provides free e-commerce facilities for SMEs, it can encourage SMEs to adopt e-commerce. Furthermore, the results show that due to uncertainty in the e-commerce, producing high-quality products and traditional exports cannot raise the tendency of sample firms to adopt e-commerce.
Uploads
Papers by Saeed Solaymani