IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v49y2013icp48-61.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cost analysis for high-volume and long-haul transportation of densified biomass feedstock

Author

Listed:
  • Gonzales, Daniela
  • Searcy, Erin M.
  • Ekşioğlu, Sandra D.

Abstract

Using densified biomass to produce biofuels has the potential to reduce the cost of delivering biomass to biorefineries. Densified biomass has physical properties similar to grain, and therefore, the transportation system in support of delivering densified biomass to a biorenery is expected to emulate the current grain transportation system. By analyzing transportation costs for products like grain and woodchips, this paper identifies the main factors that impact the delivery cost of densified biomass and quantifies those factors’ impact on transportation costs. This paper provides a transportation-cost analysis which will aid the design and management of biofuel supply chains. This evaluation is very important because the expensive logistics and transportation costs are one of the major barriers slowing development in this industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Gonzales, Daniela & Searcy, Erin M. & Ekşioğlu, Sandra D., 2013. "Cost analysis for high-volume and long-haul transportation of densified biomass feedstock," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 48-61.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:49:y:2013:i:c:p:48-61
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2013.01.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856413000128
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2013.01.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James M. MacDonald, 1987. "Competition and Rail Rates for the Shipment of Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 18(1), pages 151-163, Spring.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Marufuzzaman, Mohammad & Eksioglu, Sandra D. & Li, Xiaopeng & Wang, Jin, 2014. "Analyzing the impact of intermodal-related risk to the design and management of biofuel supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 122-145.
    2. Beagle, E. & Belmont, E., 2019. "Comparative life cycle assessment of biomass utilization for electricity generation in the European Union and the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 267-275.
    3. Awais, Fawad & Flodén, Jonas & Svanberg, Martin, 2021. "Logistic characteristics and requirements of Swedish wood biofuel heating plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Chowdhury, Sudipta & Emelogu, Adindu & Marufuzzaman, Mohammad & Nurre, Sarah G. & Bian, Linkan, 2017. "Drones for disaster response and relief operations: A continuous approximation model," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 167-184.
    5. Sangpil Ko & Kyoungjoon Choi & Seungmin Yu & Jun Lee, 2022. "A Stochastic Optimization Model for Sustainable Multimodal Transportation for Bioenergy Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-21, February.
    6. Aalto, Mika & KC, Raghu & Korpinen, Olli-Jussi & Karttunen, Kalle & Ranta, Tapio, 2019. "Modeling of biomass supply system by combining computational methods – A review article," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 243(C), pages 145-154.
    7. Ng, Rex T.L. & Maravelias, Christos T., 2017. "Economic and energetic analysis of biofuel supply chains," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 1571-1582.
    8. Poudel, Sushil Raj & Marufuzzaman, Mohammad & Bian, Linkan, 2016. "A hybrid decomposition algorithm for designing a multi-modal transportation network under biomass supply uncertainty," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 1-25.
    9. Mohammad S. Roni & Sandra D. Eksioglu & Kara G. Cafferty & Jacob J. Jacobson, 2017. "A multi-objective, hub-and-spoke model to design and manage biofuel supply chains," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 249(1), pages 351-380, February.
    10. How, Bing Shen & Ngan, Sue Lin & Hong, Boon Hooi & Lam, Hon Loong & Ng, Wendy Pei Qin & Yusup, Suzana & Ghani, Wan Azlina Wan Abd Karim & Kansha, Yasuki & Chan, Yi Herng & Cheah, Kin Wai & Shahbaz, Mu, 2019. "An outlook of Malaysian biomass industry commercialisation: Perspectives and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-1.
    11. Sushil R. Poudel & Md Abdul Quddus & Mohammad Marufuzzaman & Linkan Bian & Reuben F. Burch V, 2019. "Managing congestion in a multi-modal transportation network under biomass supply uncertainty," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 273(1), pages 739-781, February.
    12. Aghalari, Amin & Nur, Farjana & Marufuzzaman, Mohammad, 2020. "A Bender’s based nested decomposition algorithm to solve a stochastic inland waterway port management problem considering perishable product," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    13. Marufuzzaman, Mohammad & Ekşioğlu, Sandra Duni, 2017. "Managing congestion in supply chains via dynamic freight routing: An application in the biomass supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 54-76.
    14. Mohammad Marufuzzaman & Sandra Duni Ekşioğlu, 2017. "Designing a Reliable and Dynamic Multimodal Transportation Network for Biofuel Supply Chains," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(2), pages 494-517, May.
    15. Lotte Visser & Ric Hoefnagels & Martin Junginger, 2020. "The Potential Contribution of Imported Biomass to Renewable Energy Targets in the EU–the Trade-off between Ambitious Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets and Cost Thresholds," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-30, April.
    16. Hossain, Tasmin & Jones, Daniela S. & Hartley, Damon S. & Thompson, David N. & Langholtz, Matthew & Davis, Maggie, 2022. "Nth-plant scenario for forest resources and short rotation woody crops: Biorefineries and depots in the contiguous US," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    17. Sushil Poudel & Mohammad Marufuzzaman & Md Abdul Quddus & Sudipta Chowdhury & Linkan Bian & Brian Smith, 2018. "Designing a Reliable and Congested Multi-Modal Facility Location Problem for Biofuel Supply Chain Network," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-24, June.
    18. Yun Bai & Xiaopeng Li & Fan Peng & Xin Wang & Yanfeng Ouyang, 2015. "Effects of Disruption Risks on Biorefinery Location Design," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, February.
    19. R. N. Ossei-Bremang & F. Kemausuor, 2021. "A decision support system for the selection of sustainable biomass resources for bioenergy production," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 437-454, September.
    20. An, Heungjo, 2019. "Optimal daily scheduling of mobile machines to transport cellulosic biomass from satellite storage locations to a bioenergy plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 231-243.
    21. Salimi, F. & Vahdani, Behnam, 2018. "Designing a bio-fuel network considering links reliability and risk-pooling effect in bio-refineries," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 96-107.
    22. Visser, L. & Hoefnagels, R. & Junginger, M., 2020. "Wood pellet supply chain costs – A review and cost optimization analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    23. Ng, Rex T.L. & Kurniawan, Daniel & Wang, Hua & Mariska, Brian & Wu, Wenzhao & Maravelias, Christos T., 2018. "Integrated framework for designing spatially explicit biofuel supply chains," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 116-131.
    24. Forsberg, C.W. & Dale, B.E. & Jones, D.S. & Hossain, T. & Morais, A.R.C. & Wendt, L.M., 2021. "Replacing liquid fossil fuels and hydrocarbon chemical feedstocks with liquid biofuels from large-scale nuclear biorefineries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Craig Depken, 1999. "Free-Agency and the Competitiveness of Major League Baseball," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 14(3), pages 205-217, May.
    2. Krier, Betty & Liu, Chia-Mei & McNamara, Brian & Sharpe, Jerrod, 2014. "Individual freight effects, capacity utilization, and Amtrak service quality," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 163-175.
    3. Guido Friebel & Sergei Guriev & Russell Pittman & Elizaveta Shevyakhova & Anna Tomová, 2006. "Railroad Restructuring in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe: One Solution for All Problems?," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 251-271, August.
    4. Russell Pittman, 2017. "The Strange Career Of Independent Voting Trusts In U.S. Rail Mergers," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 89-102.
    5. Kleit, Andrew N. & Palsson, Halldor P., 1999. "Horizontal concentration and anticompetitive behavior in the central Canadian cement industry: testing arbitrage cost hypotheses," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 17(8), pages 1189-1202, November.
    6. Craig A. Depken II, 2002. "Free Agency and the Concentration of Player Talent in Major League Baseball," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 3(4), pages 335-353, November.
    7. James MacDonald, 2013. "Railroads and Price Discrimination: The Roles of Competition, Information, and Regulation," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 43(1), pages 85-101, August.
    8. Hughes, Jonathan E., 2011. "The higher price of cleaner fuels: Market power in the rail transport of fuel ethanol," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 123-139, September.
    9. Babcock, Michael W. & McKamey, Matthew & Gayle, Phillip, 2014. "State Variation in Railroad Wheat Rates," Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Transportation Research Forum, vol. 53(3).
    10. Schmidt, Stephen, 2001. "Market structure and market outcomes in deregulated rail freight markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 19(1-2), pages 99-131, January.
    11. José A. Gómez-Ibáñez, 2016. "Open Access to Infrastructure Networks: The Experience of Railroads," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 49(2), pages 311-345, September.
    12. James Gaisford & Stefan Lutz, 2007. "A Multi-Product Framework Generating Waves of Mergers and Divestitures," ICER Working Papers 36-2007, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.
    13. Lee Pinkowitz & Rohan Williamson, 2016. "The Staggers Act and Firm Performance: Long-Run Evidence," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 49(2), pages 161-202, September.
    14. Wesley W. Wilson & Frank A. Wolak, 2018. "Benchmark Regulation of Multiproduct Firms: An Application to the Rail Industry," NBER Working Papers 25268, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Elżbieta Szaruga & Elżbieta Załoga & Arkadiusz Drewnowski & Paulina Dąbrosz-Drewnowska, 2023. "Convergence of Energy Intensity of the Export of Goods by Rail Transport: Linkages with the Spatial Integration and Economic Condition of Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-24, April.
    16. Jonathan E. Hughes & Ian Lange, 2020. "Who (Else) Benefits From Electricity Deregulation? Coal Prices, Natural Gas, And Price Discrimination," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(3), pages 1053-1075, July.
    17. Prater, Marvin E. & Casavant, Ken & Jessup, Eric & Blanton, Bruce & Bahizi, Pierre & Nibarger, Daniel & Weingram, Isaac, 2010. "Rail Competition Changes Since the Staggers Act," Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Transportation Research Forum, vol. 49(3).
    18. Fuller, Stephen W. & Ruppel, Fred J. & Bessler, David A., 1990. "Effect Of Contract Disclosure On Price: Railroad Grain Contracting In The Plains," Western Journal of Agricultural Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 15(2), pages 1-7, December.
    19. Joon Je Park & Michael W. Babcock & Kenneth Lemke & Dennis L. Weisman, 2001. "Simulating the Effects of Railroad Mergers," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 67(4), pages 938-953, April.
    20. McMullen, B. Starr, 1991. "Determinants of Transportation Rates for Pacific Northwest Wheat Shippers," Transportation Research Forum Proceedings 1990s 319084, Transportation Research Forum.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:49:y:2013:i:c:p:48-61. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.