IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v342y2026ics0360544225052843.html

Robust green supply chain for flare waste gas recycling under hybrid uncertainty: A data-driven approach

Author

Listed:
  • Askary, Milad
  • Aliha, M.R.M.
  • Makui, Ahmad
  • Pishvaee, Mir Saman

Abstract

The world faces two main challenges: environmental pollution and resource depletion. Environmental pollution makes human life dangerous, and on the other hand, resource depletion makes it challenging to fulfill the demand. This study addresses these issues by examining a real-world case in a petroleum refinery in Iran, where waste gas is combusted to pollute the air and natural gas demand is met by refining crude gas. To reduce environmental pollution, a flare gas recovery system is proposed that separates and compresses liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to initially decrease environmental pollution and satisfy some demand by capturing the waste gas. Additionally, by producing the CO2, some of the downstream demand for liquid CO2 will be satisfied, thereby decreasing the required investment to establish the CO2 manufacturer. Since there is a strong correlation between the demand for natural gas and monthly temperature, the data-driven approach for big data is used. To address environmental uncertainty arising from deep uncertainty in temperature forecasting and operational downtime due to maintenance and repair activities, a multi-objective robust mixed-integer programming model is developed, which accounts for stochastic disruptions and aims to minimize both total cost and environmental pollution. To optimize the multi objective model epsilon constraint method is used so that represent the non-dominate solutions. Lastly, to examine the model performance, a verification and validation approach is used, which shows that the utilization of the proposed model has a lower standard deviation against the uncertainty in parameters. Results show that the proposed model increases the inventory of natural gas by about 429 % annually. At the same time, total environmental pollution from flares and CO2 emissions is expected to decrease by approximately 88.9 % and 61.6 %, respectively, compared to the traditional system (current situation).

Suggested Citation

  • Askary, Milad & Aliha, M.R.M. & Makui, Ahmad & Pishvaee, Mir Saman, 2026. "Robust green supply chain for flare waste gas recycling under hybrid uncertainty: A data-driven approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:342:y:2026:i:c:s0360544225052843
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.139642
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225052843
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.139642?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nickel, Stefan & Saldanha-da-Gama, Francisco & Ziegler, Hans-Peter, 2012. "A multi-stage stochastic supply network design problem with financial decisions and risk management," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 511-524.
    2. Nasser Yimen & Oumarou Hamandjoda & Lucien Meva’a & Benoit Ndzana & Jean Nganhou, 2018. "Analyzing of a Photovoltaic/Wind/Biogas/Pumped-Hydro Off-Grid Hybrid System for Rural Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa—Case Study of Djoundé in Northern Cameroon," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-30, October.
    3. Guo, Changqiang & Hu, Hao & Wang, Shaowen & Rodriguez, Luis F. & Ting, K.C. & Lin, Tao, 2022. "Multiperiod stochastic programming for biomass supply chain design under spatiotemporal variability of feedstock supply," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 378-393.
    4. Seleshi G. Yalew & Michelle T. H. van Vliet & David E. H. J. Gernaat & Fulco Ludwig & Ariel Miara & Chan Park & Edward Byers & Enrica De Cian & Franziska Piontek & Gokul Iyer & Ioanna Mouratiadou & Ja, 2020. "Impacts of climate change on energy systems in global and regional scenarios," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(10), pages 794-802, October.
    5. Zarei, Mohammadamin & Shams, Mohammad H. & Niaz, Haider & Won, Wangyun & Lee, Chul-Jin & Liu, J. Jay, 2022. "Risk-based multistage stochastic mixed-integer optimization for biofuel supply chain management under multiple uncertainties," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 694-705.
    6. Mei, H. & Li, Y.P. & Suo, C. & Ma, Y. & Lv, J., 2020. "Analyzing the impact of climate change on energy-economy-carbon nexus system in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    7. Bentley, R. W., 2002. "Global oil & gas depletion: an overview," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 189-205, February.
    8. Jose M. Garrido-Perez & David Barriopedro & Ricardo García-Herrera & Carlos Ordóñez, 2021. "Impact of climate change on Spanish electricity demand," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 1-18, April.
    9. Niloufar Razavi & Hadi Gholizadeh & Sina Nayeri & Tannaz Alizadeh Ashrafi, 2021. "A robust optimization model of the field hospitals in the sustainable blood supply chain in crisis logistics," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(12), pages 2804-2828, December.
    10. Ghelichi, Zabih & Saidi-Mehrabad, Mohammad & Pishvaee, Mir Saman, 2018. "A stochastic programming approach toward optimal design and planning of an integrated green biodiesel supply chain network under uncertainty: A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 661-687.
    11. Govindan, Kannan & Soleimani, Hamed & Kannan, Devika, 2015. "Reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chain: A comprehensive review to explore the future," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(3), pages 603-626.
    12. Luisa Fernanda Ibañez-Gómez & Sebastian Albarracín-Quintero & Santiago Céspedes-Zuluaga & Erik Montes-Páez & Oswaldo Hideo Ando Junior & João Paulo Carmo & João Eduardo Ribeiro & Melkzedekue Moraes Al, 2022. "Process Optimization of the Flaring Gas for Field Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-19, October.
    13. Sreedevi, R. & Saranga, Haritha, 2017. "Uncertainty and supply chain risk: The moderating role of supply chain flexibility in risk mitigation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 332-342.
    14. John M. Mulvey & Robert J. Vanderbei & Stavros A. Zenios, 1995. "Robust Optimization of Large-Scale Systems," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 43(2), pages 264-281, April.
    15. Deepika Bishnoi & Harsh Chaturvedi, 2022. "Optimal Design of a Hybrid Energy System for Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Onshore Oil and Gas Fields," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    16. Himri, Y. & Boudghene Stambouli, A. & Draoui, B. & Himri, S., 2008. "Techno-economical study of hybrid power system for a remote village in Algeria," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 1128-1136.
    17. Singh, Sanjeet & Bansal, Pooja & Hosen, Mosharrof & Bansal, Sanjeev K., 2023. "Forecasting annual natural gas consumption in USA: Application of machine learning techniques- ANN and SVM," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    18. Kumar, Laveet & Sleiti, Ahmad K. & Al-Ammari, Wahib A. & Hassan, Ibrahim & Rezaei-Gomari, S. & Rahman, Mohammad Azizur, 2025. "Thermo-economic analysis of flare gas recovery for power and clean water production using integrated concentrated solar power and direct oxy-fuel combustion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    19. Nezhadfard, Mahya & Khalili-Garakani, Amirhossein, 2020. "Power generation as a useful option for flare gas recovery: Enviro-economic evaluation of different scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    20. Fahimnia, Behnam & Sarkis, Joseph & Davarzani, Hoda, 2015. "Green supply chain management: A review and bibliometric analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 101-114.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Taha-Hossein Hejazi & Behrooz Khorshidvand, 2024. "Robust optimization of sustainable closed-loop supply chain network considering product family," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 10591-10621, April.
    2. Jahani, Hamed & Abbasi, Babak & Sheu, Jiuh-Biing & Klibi, Walid, 2024. "Supply chain network design with financial considerations: A comprehensive review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(3), pages 799-839.
    3. Liu, Zhi-Feng & Zhao, Shi-Xiang & Luo, Xing-Fu & Huang, Ya-He & Gu, Rui-Zheng & Li, Ji-Xiang & Li, Ling-Ling, 2025. "Two-layer energy dispatching and collaborative optimization of regional integrated energy system considering stakeholders game and flexible load management," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 379(C).
    4. Gebara, C.H. & Laurent, A., 2023. "National SDG-7 performance assessment to support achieving sustainable energy for all within planetary limits," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Cheng, Qian & Liu, Pan & Xia, Qian & Cheng, Lei & Ming, Bo & Zhang, Wei & Xu, Weifeng & Zheng, Yalian & Han, Dongyang & Xia, Jun, 2023. "An analytical method to evaluate curtailment of hydro–photovoltaic hybrid energy systems and its implication under climate change," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    6. Suzanne, Elodie & Absi, Nabil & Borodin, Valeria, 2020. "Towards circular economy in production planning: Challenges and opportunities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(1), pages 168-190.
    7. Nadeem Bari & Ranga Chimhundu & Ka Ching Chan, 2024. "Interrelation between Sustainable Dynamic Capabilities, Corporate Sustainability, and Sustained Competitive Advantage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-31, March.
    8. Zhang, Xiangyu & Glaws, Andrew & Cortiella, Alexandre & Emami, Patrick & King, Ryan N., 2025. "Deep generative models in energy system applications: Review, challenges, and future directions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 380(C).
    9. Zhalechian, M. & Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, R. & Zahiri, B. & Mohammadi, M., 2016. "Sustainable design of a closed-loop location-routing-inventory supply chain network under mixed uncertainty," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 182-214.
    10. Esmaeili Aliabadi, Danial & Wulff, Niklas & Lehneis, Reinhold & Sadr, Mohammad & Gutjahr, Sandra & Reutter, Felix Jonas & Jordan, Matthias & Lehmann, Paul & Thrän, Daniela, 2025. "Climate change may impair the transition to a fully renewable energy system: A German case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).
    11. Makasis, Nikolas & Gu, Xiaoying & Kreitmair, Monika J. & Narsilio, Guillermo A. & Choudhary, Ruchi, 2023. "Geothermal pavements: A city-scale investigation on providing sustainable heating for the city of Cardiff, UK," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    12. Collet, L. & Gailhard, J. & Guénand, Y. & Monteil, C. & Oueslati, B. & Peton, P.-Y. & Martinet, C. & Bono, C., 2025. "Future nuclear power outages in a changing climate - A case study on two contrasted French power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    13. Zhang, Yi & Cheng, Chuntian & Yang, Tiantian & Jin, Xiaoyu & Jia, Zebin & Shen, Jianjian & Wu, Xinyu, 2022. "Assessment of climate change impacts on the hydro-wind-solar energy supply system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    14. Hatice Güneş Yıldız & Berk Ayvaz & Ali Osman Kuşakcı & Muhammet Deveci & Harish Garg, 2024. "Sustainability assessment of biomass-based energy supply chain using multi-objective optimization model," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 15451-15493, June.
    15. Golghamat Raad, Nima & Rajendran, Suchithra, 2024. "A hybrid scenario-based fuzzy stochastic model for closed-loop dry port network design with multiple robustness measures," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    16. Lan, Xinyao & Jin, Jiahui & Xu, Beibei & Chen, Diyi & Egusquiza, Mònica & Kim, Jin-Hyuk & Egusquiza, Eduard & Jafar, Nejadali & Xu, Lin & Kuang, Yuan, 2022. "Physical model test and parametric optimization of a hydroelectric generating system with a coaxial shaft surge tank," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 880-899.
    17. Hu, Rong & Zhou, Kaile & Lu, Xinhui, 2025. "Integrated loads forecasting with absence of crucial factors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    18. Rodriguez-Matas, Antonio F. & Ruiz, Carlos & Linares, Pedro & Perez-Bravo, Manuel, 2025. "How energy strategies are shaped by the correlation of uncertainties," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 382(C).
    19. Chong, Cheng Tung & Fan, Yee Van & Lee, Chew Tin & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2022. "Post COVID-19 ENERGY sustainability and carbon emissions neutrality," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    20. Oyewo, Ayobami S. & Aghahosseini, Arman & Movsessian, Maria M. & Breyer, Christian, 2024. "A novel geothermal-PV led energy system analysis on the case of the central American countries Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:energy:v:342:y:2026:i:c:s0360544225052843. 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.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    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.