The role of logistics in enabling the production of advanced biofuels
A logistics study is based on the quantification and evaluation of options (modes, distances, etc.), transportation costs of produced, or potential produced inputs, and products to be generated in a given location, in order to find the most favorable combinations of production sites, transportation and distribution in terms of costs and other economic, environmental and social indicators (such as fossil fuel consumption, embodied primary energy, among others). This quantification is based on geo-referenced data of current and potential input production systems and processing and conversion facilities, thus evaluating, and indicating the best combinations of production, transportation, distribution, and conversion sites to minimize costs and maximize other gains.
Logistics studies related to bioenergy have as their main objective to accelerate the pace of development of this sector. In this way, the goal is to evaluate and promote greater efficiency in the distribution systems for the raw materials required for the production of biofuels. Part of this goal is also to develop efficient and innovative strategies to balance costs and biomass quality in production systems. Based on mapping and working generally on Geographic Information Systems, it is possible to estimate the quantity and distances of biomass transport to the facilities for bioenergy conversion. Transport systems are modeled based on a description of current systems using georeferenced information from industry, government agencies and literature.
Using this information, it is possible to determine the quantities of biomass produced and to identify the costs of biomass production and transportation, as well as the relationship with the performance and distance to the conversion plant. Thus, raw material costs and quality are incorporated to face the challenges of balancing them with the available quantity and biomass transportation distances, also considering the conversion efficiency of the production units. The complete evaluation of the logistic systems, in the case of the BioValue project, aims to identify the most appropriate logistic options, based on the combination of cost-supply and environmental impact curves, considering representative case studies for logistic systems in different regions of Brazil. The development of the platforms and tools for logistics assessment will significantly contribute to the feasibility of aviation biofuel production in the country, working to identify synergies and tradeoffs between its economic and environmental benefits.
References
BioValue BECOOL Meeting – Work Package 2 – Design and assessment of optimal logistic chains Integrated Market, Value Chain and Sustainability Assessment. Recife – PE, December 2 to 4, 2019.
P. Ravula, R. D. Grisso, J. S. Cundiff, Comparison between two policy strategies for scheduling trucks in a biomass logistic system. Bioresour. Technol. 99, 5710 (2008). doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2007.10.044 pmid:18077158.
Velazquez-Marti, B., & Fernandez-Gonzalez, E. (2010). Mathematical algorithms to locate factories to transform biomass in bioenergy focused on logistic network construction. Renewable Energy, 35, 2136–2142.
Fundamental Bibliographical References