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Impact of the biorefinery size on the logistics of corn stover supply – A scenario analysis

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  • Wang, Yu
  • Ebadian, Mahmood
  • Sokhansanj, Shahab
  • Webb, Erin
  • Lau, Anthony

Abstract

In this paper, three scenarios are considered to quantify the impact of the biorefinery size on the required biomass logistical resources. The biorefinery scenarios include small scale (175dt/day)-SS, medium scale (520dt/day)-MS and large scale (860dt/day)-LS. These scenarios are compared against the following logistical resources (1) harvest area and contracted fields, (2) logistics equipment fleet and the workforce to run this fleet and (3) intermediate storage sites and their biomass inventory levels. To this end, the IBSAL-MC simulation model is applied to a corn stover logistics system in Southwestern Ontario. The obtained results show (1) the harvest area and the number of contracted fields increase by 65% and 78% from the SS scenario to the MS and LS scenarios, respectively, (2) the average biomass delivered costs are estimated to be $82.09, $87.49 and $93.75/dry tonne in the SS, MS and LS scenarios. The increase in the capital costs to develop a dedicated logistics equipment fleet are estimated to be far greater than the increase in the delivered costs as the size of the biorefinery increases. The upfront capital costs are estimated to be $6.72, 21.83 and 35.51 million in these scenarios. To run the logistics equipment fleet efficiently, 37, 136 and 235 well-trained operators are required in the SS, MS ad LS scenarios, respectively, and (3) the inventory level and the land requirement for storage in the MS and LS scenarios are estimated to be 225% and 425% greater than those of the SS scenario. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the logistical resources are highly sensitive to corn yield and farm participation rate. Overall, this study shows the importance of considering the size of the required logistical resources and the associated level of logistical complexity in evaluating the economic viability of a biorefinery project.

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  • Wang, Yu & Ebadian, Mahmood & Sokhansanj, Shahab & Webb, Erin & Lau, Anthony, 2017. "Impact of the biorefinery size on the logistics of corn stover supply – A scenario analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 360-376.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:198:y:2017:i:c:p:360-376
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.03.056
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. De Laporte, Aaron V. & Ripplinger, David G., 2019. "The effects of site selection, opportunity costs and transportation costs on bioethanol production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 73-82.
    3. Therasme, Obste & Volk, Timothy A. & Fortier, Marie-Odile & Kim, Youngwoon & Wood, Christopher D. & Ha, HakSoo & Ali, Atif & Brown, Tristan & Malmsheimer, Robert, 2022. "Carbon footprint of biofuels production from forest biomass using hot water extraction and biochemical conversion in the Northeast United States," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    4. Wang, Zhanwu & Wang, Zhenfeng & Tahir, Nadeem & Wang, Heng & Li, Jin & Xu, Guangyin, 2020. "Study of synergetic development in straw power supply chain: Straw price and government subsidy as incentive," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    5. 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.

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