REDEFINING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN EFFLUENT TREATMENT PROCESS WITH ZERO LIQUID DISCHARGE: MSME ENTREPRENEUR'S DECISION-MAKING STRATEGY ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND THEIR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

Abstract. Purpose: The world aims to achieve zero liquid discharge since industrial effluent collection increases daily. This paper focuses on current entrepreneurs' decision-making strategy on digital transformation and their emotional intelligence and proposes a model to achieve zero liquid discharge to mitigate ecological issues.

Design / Methodology/approach: This paper uses the data collected from thirty-two effluent treatment projects and services from twenty-two operating companies across the world, and the data was analyzed through JAMOVI.

Findings: Researchers found that correlation is stronger between ZLD and operational excellence, digital transformation and emotional intelligence. Correlation is negligible between ZLD and entrepreneurs decision making strategies and it needs to be improved.

Research, Practical & Social Implications: Researchers found that output achieves 97% recovery at the maximum level through zero liquid discharge system based on reject management with required COD (Chemical oxygen demand) and BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand). Entrepreneurs' emotional intelligence and digital transformation decision-making strategies provide zero liquid discharge through an evaporator system, gas extraction and crystallization. Researchers found that operating companies utilize sludge to fill the land for agriculture and biogas generation purposes, and operating companies utilize recovery water to reuse, recycle, garden, and discharge to the ocean which needs to be avoided completely.

Originality / Value: Based on existing research, to the author's knowledge, this research could be the first to examine the effluent treatment process with operational excellence on zero liquid discharge based on the Entrepreneur's decision-making strategy, digital transformation and emotional intelligence.

Keywords: Effluent treatment, Operational excellence, Zero liquid discharge, Entrepreneur, decision-making strategy, emotional intelligence, Digital transformation.