Ligncellulosic feedstock supply systems with intermodal and overseas transportation
With growing demand for biomass from industrial uses and international trade, the logistic operations required to economically move the biomass from the field or forest to the end users have become increasingly complex. In addition to economics, understanding energy and GHG emissions is required to design cost effective, sustainable logistic process operations; in order to improve international supply chains it is also important to understate their interdependencies and related uncertainties. This article presents an approach to assess lignocellulosic feedstock supply systems at the operational level. For this purpose, the Biomass Logistic Model (BLM) has been linked with the Geographic Information Systems based Biomass Intermodal Transportation model (BIT-UU) and extended with inter-continental transport routes. Case studies of herbaceous and woody biomass, produced in the U.S. Midwest and U.S. Southeast, respectively, and shipped to Europe for conversion to Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel are included to demonstrate how intermodal transportation and, in particular, overseas shipping integrates with the bioenergy supply chains. For the cases demonstrated, biomass can be supplied at 99 € Mg-1 to 117 € Mg-1 (dry) and converted to FT-diesel at 19 € GJ-1 to 24 € GJ-1 depending on the feedstock type and location, intermediate (chips or pellets) and size of the FT-diesel production plant. With the flexibility to change the design of supply chains as well as input variables, many alternative supply chain cases can be assessed.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - EE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1177656
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-13-30385
- Journal Information:
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Journal Name: Biotechnology and Bioengineering Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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