Luis F. Rodríguez

Integrated strategic and tactical biomass–biofuel supply chain optimization

To ensure effective biomass feedstock provision for large-scale biofuel production, an integrated biomass supply chain optimization model was developed to minimize annual biomass-ethanol production costs by optimizing both strategic and tactical planning decisions simultaneously. The mixed integer linear programming model optimizes the activities range from biomass harvesting, packing, in-field transportation, stacking, transportation, preprocessing, and storage, to ethanol production and distribution. The numbers, locations, and capacities of facilities as well as biomass and ethanol distribution patterns are key strategic decisions; while biomass production, delivery, and operating schedules and inventory monitoring are key tactical decisions. The model was implemented to study Miscanthus-ethanol supply chain in Illinois. The base case results showed unit Miscanthus-ethanol production costs were

Agave for tequila and biofuels: an economic assessment and potential opportunities

0.72L(-1) of ethanol. Biorefinery related costs accounts for 62% of the total costs, followed by biomass procurement costs. Sensitivity analysis showed that a 50% reduction in biomass yield would increase unit production costs by 11%.

Optimization of Miscanthus Harvesting and Handling as an Energy Crop: BioFeed Model Application

This paper explores the economic viability of producing biofuels from Agave in Mexico and the potential for it to complement the production of tequila or mescal. We focus on Agave varieties currently being used by the tequila industry to produce two beverages, tequila and mescal, and explore the potential for biofuel production from these plants. Without competing directly with beverage production, we discuss the economic costs and benefits of converting Agave by‐products to liquid fuel as an additional value‐added product and expanding cultivation of Agave on available land. We find that the feedstock cost for biofuel from the Agave piña alone could be more than US

Agent-based analysis of biomass feedstock production dynamics.

3 L−1 on average. This is considerably higher than the feedstock costs of corn ethanol and sugarcane ethanol. However, there may be potential to reduce these costs with higher conversion efficiencies or by using sugar present in other parts of the plant. The costs of cellulosic biofuels using the biomass from the entire plant could be lower depending on the conversion efficiency of biomass to fuel and the additional costs of harvesting, collecting and transporting that biomass.

Biomass feedstock preprocessing and long-distance transportation logistics

The success of the bioenergy sector depends significantly on ensuring efficient and sustainable biomass feedstock production and provision, which requires a comprehensive systems theory based approach. BioFeed is a system-level model that has been proposed to optimize the feedstock production and provision activities. It has been applied in the past to study switchgrass production in Illinois. This work presents recent additions to the BioFeed model to enable a more accurate representation of various biomass production activities for energy crops. While maintaining the original model framework that focuses on farm-level design and operational issues in addition to storage and transportation logistics, new biomass packing and size reduction operations such as pelletization and grinding have been added. The selection and operation of biomass handling equipment such as loaders, unloaders, and in-field transportation equipment have also been incorporated. The addition of these new operations created the challenge of ensuring the logical validity of the operational sequence during model simulation. A superstructure of all possible operational sequences was developed, and the biomass form at the output of every piece of equipment was tracked to ensure appropriate equipment selection. The model was then applied to a case study of Miscanthus production as the energy crop in southern Illinois. The results showed that the optimized delivered cost based on existing technology was about

An engineering and economic evaluation of quick germ–quick fiber process for dry-grind ethanol facilities: Analysis

45 Mg-1. Biomass packing and storage were important components of the total cost distribution. The potential alternatives to reduce the delivered cost included using a single-pass mowing and baling operation, increasing the packing throughput capacity, and extending the harvesting window.

CyberGIS-enabled decision support platform for biomass supply chain optimization

The success of the bioenergy sector based on lignocellulosic feedstock will require a sustainable and resilient transition from the current agricultural system focused on food crops to one also producing energy crops. The dynamics of this transition are not well understood. It will be driven significantly by the collective participation, behavior, and interaction of various stakeholders such as farmers within the production system. The objective of this work is to study the system dynamics through the development and application of an agent-based model using the theory of complex adaptive systems. Farmers and biorefinery, two key stakeholders in the system, are modeled as independent agents. The decision making of each agent as well as its interaction with other agents is modeled using a set of rules reflecting the economic, social, and personal attributes of the agent. These rules and model parameters are adapted from literature. Regulatory mechanisms such as Biomass Crop Assistance Program are embedded in the decision-making process. The model is then used to simulate the production of Miscanthus as an energy crop in Illinois. Particular focus has been given on understanding the dynamics of Miscanthus adaptation as an agricultural crop and its impact on biorefinery capacity and contractual agreements. Results showed that only 60% of the maximum regional production capacity could be reached, and it took up to 15 years to establish that capacity. A 25% reduction in the land opportunity cost led to a 63% increase in the steady- state productivity. Sensitivity analysis showed that higher initial conversion of land by farmers to grow energy crop led to faster growth in regional productivity.

Switchgrass - practical issues in developing a fuel crop.

Biomass‐based biofuels have gained attention because they are renewable energy sources that could facilitate energy independence and improve rural economic development. As biomass supply and biofuel demand areas are generally not geographically contiguous, the design of an efficient and effective biomass supply chain from biomass provision to biofuel distribution is critical to facilitate large‐scale biofuel development. This study compared the costs of supplying biomass using three alternative biomass preprocessing and densification technologies (pelletizing, briquetting, and grinding) and two alternative transportation modes (trucking and rail) for the design of a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain in which biomass produced in Illinois is used to meet biofuel demands in either California or Illinois. The BioScope optimization model was applied to evaluate a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain that includes biomass supply, centralized storage and preprocessing (CSP), biorefinery, and ethanol distribution. We examined the cost of 15 scenarios that included a combination of three biomass preprocessing technologies and five supply chain configurations. The findings suggested that the transportation costs for biomass would generally follow the pattern of coal transportation. Converting biomass to ethanol locally and shipping ethanol over long distances is most economical, similar to the existing grain‐based biofuel system. For the Illinois–California supply chain, moving ethanol is

Characterization of Microorganisms Contributing to Denitrification in Tile Drain Biofilters in Illinois

0.24 gal−1 less costly than moving biomass even in densified form over long distances. The use of biomass pellets leads to lower overall costs of biofuel production for long‐distance transportation but to higher costs if used for short‐distance movement due to its high capital and processing costs. Supported by the supply chain optimization modeling, the cellulosic‐ethanol production and distribution costs of using Illinois feedstock to meet California demand are

CyberGIS-BioScope: a cyberinfrastructure-based spatial decision-making environment for biomass-to-biofuel supply chain optimization: CYBERGIS-BIOSCOPE

0.08 gal−1 higher than that for meeting local Illinois demand.