Biomass Supply Chains For Bioenergy And Biorefining

Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy and Biorefining highlights the emergence of energy generation through the use of biomass and the ways it is becoming more widely used. The supply chains that produce the feedstocks, harvest, transport, store, and prepare them for combustion or refinement into other forms of fuel are long and complex, often differing from feedstock to feedstock. Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy and Biorefining considers every aspect of these supply chains, including their design, management, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts. The first part of the book introduces supply chains, biomass feedstocks, and their analysis, while the second part looks at the harvesting, handling, storage, and transportation of biomass. The third part studies the modeling of supply chains and their management, with the final section discussing, in minute detail, the supply chains involved in the production and usage of individual feedstocks, such as wood and sugar starches, oil crops, industrial biomass wastes, and municipal sewage stocks. Focuses on the complex supply chains of the various potential feedstocks for biomass energy generation Studies a wide range of biomass feedstocks, including woody energy crops, sugar and starch crops, lignocellulosic crops, oil crops, grass crops, algae, and biomass waste Reviews the modeling and optimization, standards, quality control and traceability, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts of supply chains

The success of lignocellulosic biofuels and biochemical industries depends upon an economic and reliable supply of quality biomass. However, research and development efforts have historically focused on the utilization of agriculturally-derived, cellulosic feedstocks without consideration of their low energy density, high variations in physical and chemical characteristics and potential supply risks in terms of availability and affordability. This Research Topic will explore strategies that enable supply chain improvements in biomass quality and consistency through blending, preprocessing, diversity and landscape design for development of conversion-ready, lignocellulosic feedstocks for production of biofuels and bio-products. Biomass variability has proven a formidable challenge to the emerging biorefining industry, impeding continuous operation and reducing yields required for economical production of lignocellulosic biofuels at scale. Conventional supply systems lack the preprocessing capabilities necessary to ensure consistent biomass feedstocks with physical and chemical properties that are compatible with supply chain operations and conversion processes. Direct coupling of conventional feedstock supply systems with sophisticated conversion systems has reduced the operability of biorefining processes to less than 50%. As the bioeconomy grows, the inherent variability of biomass resources cannot be managed by passive means alone. As such, there is a need to fully recognize the magnitude of biomass variability and uncertainty, as well as the cost of failing to design feedstock supply systems that can mitigate biomass variability and uncertainty. A paradigm shift is needed, from biorefinery designs using raw, single-resource biomass, to advanced feedstock supply systems that harness diverse biomass resources to enable supply chain resilience and development of conversion-ready feedstocks. Blending and preprocessing (e.g., drying, sorting, sizing, fractionation, leaching, densification, etc.) can mitigate variable quality and performance in diverse resources when integrated with downstream conversion systems. Decoupling feedstock supply from biorefining provides an opportunity to manage supply risks and incorporate value-added upgrading to develop feedstocks with improved convertibility and/ or market fungibility. Conversion-ready feedstocks have undergone the required preprocessing to ensure compatibility with conversion and utilization prior to delivery at the biorefinery and represent lignocellulosic biomass with physical and chemical properties that are tailored to meet the requirements of industrially-relevant handling and conversion systems.

This handbook brings together recent advances in the areas of supply chain optimization, supply chain management, and life-cycle cost analysis of bioenergy. These topics are important for the development and long-term sustainability of the bioenergy industry. The increasing interest in bioenergy has been motivated by its potential to become a key future energy source. The opportunities and challenges that this industry has been facing have been the motivation for a number of optimization-related works on bioenergy. Practitioners and academicians agree that the two major barriers of further investments in this industry are biomass supply uncertainty and costs. The goal of this handbook is to present several cutting-edge developments and tools to help the industry overcome these supply chain and economic challenges. Case studies highlighting the problems faced by investors in the US and Europe illustrate the impact of certain tools in making bioenergy an economically viable energy option.

Biomass to Biofuel Supply Chain Design and Planning under Uncertainty: Concepts and Quantitative Methods explores the design and optimization of biomass-to-biofuel supply chains for commercial-scale implementation of biofuel projects by considering the problems and challenges encountered in real supply chains. By offering a fresh approach and discussing a wide range of quantitative methods, the book enables researchers and practitioners to develop hybrid methods that integrate the advantages and features of two or more methods in one decision-making framework for the efficient optimization of biofuel supply chains, especially for complex supply chain models. Combining supply chain management and modeling techniques in a single volume, the book is beneficial for graduate students who no longer need to consult subject-specific books alongside mathematical modeling textbooks. The book consists of two main parts. The first part describes the key components of biofuel supply chains, including biomass production, harvesting, collection, storage, preprocessing, conversion, transportation, and distribution. It also provides a comprehensive review of the concepts, problems, and opportunities associated with biofuel supply chains, such as types and properties of the feedstocks and fuel products, decision-making levels, sustainability concepts, uncertainty analysis and risk management, as well as integration of biomass supply chain with other supply chains. The second part focuses on modeling and optimization of biomass-to-biofuel supply chains under uncertainty, using different quantitative methods to determine optimal design. Proposes a general multi-level framework for the optimal design and operation of biomass-to-biofuel supply chains through quantitative analysis and modeling, including different biomass and waste biomass feedstock, production pathways, technology options, transportation modes, and final products Explores how modeling and optimization tools can be utilized to address sustainability issues in biofuel supply chains by simultaneously assessing and identifying sustainable solutions Presents several case studies with different regional constraints to evaluate the practical applicability of different optimization methods and compares their performance in real-world situations Includes General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) codes for solving biomass supply chain optimization problems discussed in different chapters

Modeling and Optimization of Biomass Supply Chains: Top Down and Bottom Up Assessment for Agricultural, Forest and Waste Feedstock provides scientific evidence for assessing biomass supply and logistics, placing emphasis on methods, modeling capacities, large data collection, processing and storage. The information presented builds on recent relevant research work from the Biomass Futures, Biomass Policies and S2Biom projects. In addition to technical issues, the book covers the economic, social and environmental aspects with direct implications on biomass availability. Its chapters offer an overview of methodologies for assessing and modeling supply, biomass quality and requirements for different conversion processes, logistics and demand for biobased sectors. Case studies from the projects that inspire the book present practical examples of the implementation of these methodologies. The authors also compare methodologies for different regions, including Europe and the U.S. Biomass feedstock-specific chapters address the relevant elements for forest, agriculture, biowastes, post-consumer wood and non-food crops. Engineers in the bioenergy sector, as well as researchers and graduate students will find this book to be a very useful resource when working on optimization and modeling of biomass supply chains. For energy policymakers, analysts and consultants, the book provides consistent and technically sound projections for policy and market development decisions. Provides consistent ratios and indicators for assessing biomass supply and its logistical component Explores assumptions behind the assessment of different types of biomass, including key technical and non-technical factors Presents the existing modeling platforms, their input requirements and possible output projections

Biorefineries are an essential technology in converting biomass into biofuels or other useful materials. Advances in Biorefineries provides a comprehensive overview of biorefining processing techniques and technologies, and the biofuels and other materials produced. Part one focuses on methods of optimizing the biorefining process and assessing its environmental and economic impact. It also looks at current and developing technologies for producing value-added materials. Part two goes on to explore these materials with a focus on biofuels and other value-added products. It considers the properties, limitations, and practical applications of these products and how they can be used to meet the increasing demand for renewable and sustainable fuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. Advances in Biorefineries is a vital reference for biorefinery/process engineers, industrial biochemists/chemists, biomass/waste scientists and researchers and academics in the field. A comprehensive and systematic reference on the advanced biomass recovery and conversion processes used in biorefineries Reviews developments in biorefining processes Discusses the wide range of value-added products from biorefineries, from biofuel to biolubricants and bioadhesives

The long-held tenets of the energy sector are being rewritten in the twenty-first century. The rise of unconventional oil and gas and of renewables is transforming our economies and improving our understanding of the distribution of the world’s energy resources and their impacts. A complete knowledge of the dynamics underpinning energy markets is necessary for decision-makers reconciling economic, energy, and environmental objectives. Those that anticipate global energy developments successfully can derive an advantage, while those that fail to do so risk making poor policy and investment decisions. Focused on solving the key challenges impeding the realization of advanced cellulosic biofuels and bioproducts in rural areas, Biomass and Biofuels: Advanced Biorefineries for Sustainable Production and Distribution provides comprehensive information on sustainable production of biomass feedstock, supply chain management of feedstocks to the biorefinery site, advanced conversion processes, and catalysts/biocatalysts for production of fuels and chemicals using conventional and integrated technologies. The book also presents detailed coverage of downstream processing, and ecological considerations for refineries processing lignocellulosic and algal biomass resources. Discussions of feedstock raw materials, methods for biomass conversion, and its effective integration to make biorefinery more sustainable – economically, environmentally, and socially – give you the tools to make informed decisions.

In the modern world, the competitiveness of bioenergy- and/or bioresources-related activities heavily depends on the effectiveness of supply chain management. A large number of multidisciplinary topics are involved in the bioresources and bioenergy production fields. Although the technical issues that are related with the topic are well-discussed and do not represent major barriers, supply chain management issues, such as design of the network, collection, storage or transportation of bioresources, are still considered as fundamental questions that need to be answered to enable the optimal exploitation of bioenergy and bioresources. Moreover, modeling of material and energy flows; identification of the dynamic character of the supply chains; available reverse logistics (waste management) alternatives; economic, social and environmental sustainability of bioresource supply chains; novelty in the applied business models; and decision support frameworks towards efficient supply chain management for bioenergy and bioresources present critical operational sustainability issues and business-making potential. This Special Issue, entitled "Supply Chain Management for Bioenergy and Bioresources", seeks to contribute to the bioenergy and bioresources agenda through enhanced scientific and multi-disciplinary knowledge that may boost the performance efficiency of supply chain management and support the decision-making process of stakeholders. To that end, the Special Issue includes one extensive review on yellow and woody biomass supply-chain management, together with six original papers which span a number of innovative, multifaceted, technical developments that are related to all different echelons of supply chain management for bioenergy and bioresources.

This paper addresses an integrated biorefinery supply chain analysis in order to identify the critical factors that can contribute to such system effective modeling. Accordingly, a general mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation is developed to support the design of an integrated biorefinery supply chain. The model aims to attain the optimal supply chain configurations from many possible alternatives depending on (i) a large portfolio of biomass sources with distinct physical and chemical characteristics and with different possible locations for its supply; (ii) diverse storage types, with or without pre-processing technologies, and locations; (iv) different transportation modes for every material flows; (iv) different processing technologies to attain a large portfolio of biobased products as well as capacities and locations and (v) manage a large portfolio of end products to be sent to different markets. The model is supported by a database built in Excel in order to allow the application of the model to specific situations and be applied as a decision support system.

Decision-Making for Biomass-Based Production Chains: The Basic Concepts and Medothologies presents a comprehensive study of key-issues surrounding the integration of strategic, tactical and operational decision levels for supply chains in the biomass, biofuels and biorefining sectors. Comprehensive sections cover biomass resources, harvesting, collection, storage and distribution systems, along with the necessary technical and technological background of production systems. In addition, the basics of decision-making, problems and decision levels encountered in design, management and operation phases are covered. Case studies are supplied in each chapter, along with a discussion and comparative analysis of topics. The book presents a clear vision of advances in the field. Graduate students and those starting in this line of research will also find the necessary information on how to model this kind of complex system. Finally, this comprehensive resource can be used as a guide for non-expert industry decision-makers and government policymakers who need a thorough overview on the industry. Examines analytic methodologies for complex decision-making when designing, deploying and managing biomass and bio-based products supply chains Includes real-life examples of main sustainability indicators, standards and certification schemes from the European Union, United States and worldwide Explores the progress of decision-making procedures to provide a detailed perspective for effective selection of the most reliable solutions for each kind of problem Provides detailed, in-depth analyses of various models and frameworks for their implementation, challenges and solutions Presents multi-criteria and multi-objective decision-making and modeling approaches, including mathematical modeling, simulation-based modeling, and artificial intelligence-based modeling