Economic and life cycle environmental optimization of forest-based biorefinery supply chains for bioenergy and biofuel production

Cambero, Claudia; Sowlati, Taraneh; Pavel, Mihai

doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2015.10.040

Cited by 93 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…22 Other studies assess supply chains efficiency from a GHG perspective, with recommendations generally targeting logistics. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] There are also concerns regarding the large-range (and sometimes poor) performance in GHG emissions for bioenergy and biobased materials supply chains. 7 The majority of these studies focus particularly on supply chains with local-sourced biomass, implicitly assuming that these supply chains will have clear GHG benefits over long-distance supply chains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A carbon footprint assessment of multi‐output biorefineries with international biomass supply: a case study for the Netherlands

Vera

Hoefnagels

Kooij³

et al. 2019

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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The efficient use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of advanced fuels and bio‐based materials has become increasingly relevant. In the EU, regulatory developments are stimulating the mobilization and production of bio‐based chemicals / materials and biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. We used an attributional life‐cycle assessment approach based on region‐specific characteristics to determine the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) performance of different supply‐chain configurations with internationally sourced lignocellulosic biomass (stem wood, forest residues, sawmill residues, and sugarcane bagasse) from the USA, the Baltic States (BS), and Brazil (BR) for the simultaneous production of lactide and ethanol in a biorefinery located in the Netherlands (NL). The results are compared with a biorefinery that uses locally cultivated sugar beets. We also compared GHG emissions savings from the supply‐chain configurations with the minimum GHG saving requirements in the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and relevant fossil‐based counterparts for bio‐based materials. The GHG emissions ‘from cradle to factory gate’ vary between 692 g CO2eq/kglactide (sawmill residues pellets from the BS) and 1002 g CO2eq/kglactide (sawmill chips from the USA) for lactide and between 15 g CO2eq/MJethanol (sawmill residues pellets from the BS) and 28 g CO2eq/MJethanol (bagasse pellets from BR) for ethanol. Upstream GHG emissions from the conversion routes have a relatively small impact compared with biomass conversion to lactide and ethanol. The use of woody biomass yields better GHG emissions performance for the conversion system than sugarcane bagasse or sugar beets as result of the higher lignin content that is used to generate electricity and heat internally for the system. Only the sugar beet from the NL production route is able to comply with RED II GHG savings criteria (65% by 2021). The GHG savings from polylactide acid (a derivate of lactic acid) are high and vary depending on choice of fossil‐based counterpart, with the highest savings reported when compared to polystyrene (PS). These high savings are mostly attributed to the negative emission credit from the embedded carbon in the materials. Several improvement options along the conversion routes were explored. Efficient feedstock supply chains (including pelletization and large ocean vessels) also allow for long‐distance transportation of biomass and conversion in large‐scale biorefineries close to demand centers with similar GHG performance to biorefineries with a local biomass supply. © 2019 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A carbon footprint assessment of multi‐output biorefineries with international biomass supply: a case study for the Netherlands

Vera

Hoefnagels

Kooij³

et al. 2019

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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“…Cambero et al [58] argued that minimizing GHG emissions does not guarantee maximum environmental benefits when considering the substitution effect of wood products. Maximizing the net GHG emission savings is a more appropriate environmental objective for the optimization model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic and Environmental Optimization of the Forest Supply Chain for Timber and Bioenergy Production from Beetle-Killed Forests in Northern Colorado

She

Chung

Han

2019

Forests

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Harvesting mountain pine beetle-infested forest stands in the northern Colorado Rocky Mountains provides an opportunity to utilize otherwise wasted resources, generate net revenues, and minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Timber and bioenergy production are commonly managed separately, and their integration is seldom considered. Yet, degraded wood and logging residues can provide a feedstock for bioenergy, while the sound wood from beetle-killed stands can still be used for traditional timber products. In addition, beneficial greenhouse gas emission (GHG) savings are often realized only by compromising net revenues during salvage harvest where beetle-killed wood has a relatively low market value and high harvesting cost. In this study we compared Sequential and Integrated decision-making scenarios for managing the supply chain from beetle-killed forest salvage operations. In the Sequential scenario, timber and bioenergy production was managed sequentially in two separate processes, where salvage harvest was conducted without considering influences on or from bioenergy production. Biomass availability was assessed next as an outcome from timber production managed to produce bioenergy products. In the Integrated scenario, timber and bioenergy production were managed jointly, where collective decisions were made regarding tree salvage harvest, residue treatment, and bioenergy product selection and production. We applied a multi-objective optimization approach to integrate the economic and environmental objectives of producing timber and bioenergy, and measured results by total net revenues and total net GHG emission savings, respectively. The optimization model results show that distinctively different decisions are made in selecting the harvesting system and residue treatment under the two scenarios. When the optimization is fully economic-oriented, 49.6% more forest areas are harvested under the Integrated scenario than the Sequential scenario, generating 12.3% more net revenues and 50.5% more net GHG emission savings. Comparison of modelled Pareto fronts also indicate the Integrated decision scenario provides more efficient trade-offs between the two objectives and performs better than the Sequential scenario in both objectives.

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“…While the emissions from the end use or burning of ethanol are assumed to be carbon neutral because they are equivalent to the emissions that are captured during tree growth [44]. Therefore, the total annual GHG savings (GS T , kg CO 2eq ) can be expressed as the annual emission credits (G T gas , kg CO 2eq ) obtained from replacing current gasoline minus the life cycle emissions (G T gas , kg CO 2eq ) of ethanol in year T.…”

Section: Ghg Savings Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Of Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the Regional Availability of Forest Biomass for Biofuels and the Potential of GHG Reduction

et al. 2018

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Abstract:Forest biomass is an important resource for producing bioenergy and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The State of Michigan in the United States (U.S.) is one region recognized for its high potential of supplying forest biomass; however, the long-term availability of timber harvests and the associated harvest residues from this area has not been fully explored. In this study time trend analyses was employed for long term timber assessment and developed mathematical models for harvest residue estimation, as well as the implications of use for ethanol. The GHG savings potential of ethanol over gasoline was also modeled. The methods were applied in Michigan under scenarios of different harvest solutions, harvest types, transportation distances, conversion technologies, and higher heating values over a 50-year period. Our results indicate that the study region has the potential to supply 0.75-1.4 Megatonnes (Mt) dry timber annually and less than 0.05 Mt of dry residue produced from these harvests. This amount of forest biomass could generate 0.15-1.01 Mt of ethanol, which contains 0.68-17.32 GJ of energy. The substitution of ethanol for gasoline as transportation fuel has potential to reduce emissions by 0.043-1.09 Mt CO 2eq annually. The developed method is generalizable in other similar regions of different countries for bioenergy related analyses.

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Economic and life cycle environmental optimization of forest-based biorefinery supply chains for bioenergy and biofuel production

Cited by 93 publications

References 42 publications

A carbon footprint assessment of multi‐output biorefineries with international biomass supply: a case study for the Netherlands

A carbon footprint assessment of multi‐output biorefineries with international biomass supply: a case study for the Netherlands

Economic and Environmental Optimization of the Forest Supply Chain for Timber and Bioenergy Production from Beetle-Killed Forests in Northern Colorado

Measuring the Regional Availability of Forest Biomass for Biofuels and the Potential of GHG Reduction

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