An approach to unify the appraisal framework for biomass conversion systems

Suwelack, Kay; Wüst, Dominik

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.10.012

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Only a few recent studies have proposed assessment approaches for biomass conversion systems considering multiple attributes. Suwelack and Wüst (2015) developed a unified appraisal framework for biomass conversion systems that includes a MCA approach based on standardized data and impact levels. The approach was tested on random data for three biomass conversion systems considering seven criteria on social, environmental and economic issues.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to identify suitable ways for the hydrothermal treatment of wet bio-waste? A critical review and methods proposal

2018

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A considerable amount of wet biogenic residues and waste has no resource-efficient use in several European countries yet. Hydrothermal processes (HTP) seem to be promising for treating such biomass as they best work with substrates with 70% to 90% water content. However, thus far the suitability of HTP for this purpose has not been sufficiently evaluated, for which this work aims to identify suitable multi-criteria analysis (MCA) methods that can be used to identify promising ways for the hydrothermal treatment of wet bio-waste. A review on 31 recent MCA studies in bio-waste management was conducted with the aim of comparing them to methodological requirements for evaluating HTP. Furthermore, an MCA approach for HTP based on the review findings is proposed. Results show that no observed MCA method is directly transferable for assessing HTP, for which a customized approach combining the analytical hierarchy process and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions is proposed and preliminarily validated with literature data. These preliminary calculations indicate that hydrothermal gasification seems most promising under consideration of multiple criteria using the available average and exemplary data. However, needless to say there is still a long way to go to obtain the sufficient adequate data to validate and use the model appropriately, for which further studies are necessary to acquire more reliable data and to assess also future technology developments of HTP.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to identify suitable ways for the hydrothermal treatment of wet bio-waste? A critical review and methods proposal

2018

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“…Without a clear definition and calculation procedures for the indicators, it is difficult or even impossible to apply the framework to specific cases with the available information on the method; (3) case studies-many frameworks do not exemplify their application to a case study [7][8][9][10][11][12]; therefore, they still lack validation on their applicability to specific contexts, or different types and scales of systems; (4) assessment approach-there are three main types of frameworks: those relying on heavy computation, optimization and modeling of system characteristics, and mostly directed to sector-wide analysis [7][8][9]; those intended for the continuous improvement of a system, which require a measured baseline of the selected indicators and monitoring over time [9,[12][13][14], and those intended only to compare two or more systems. The latter mostly rely on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) [15][16][17], which requires definition of objectives and preferences of stakeholders to generate the required criteria and/or indicators. Both approaches require a comparison to make a value judgment on the sustainability of the system, whether against the same system in a previous time state, or against another system or scenario.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Methodological Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Solid Biofuels Systems

et al. 2022

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This paper introduces a methodological framework for assessing the sustainability of solid biofuels in Mexico. The designed framework comprises 13 normalized indicators and two diagnostic studies, covering the economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability dimensions, and their intersections. Indicators are normalized using the concept of load capacity of a system, similarly to the planetary boundaries. Thus, the graphical representation of results facilitates their multidimensional analysis. The framework was applied to three case studies: traditional fuelwood in rural households, charcoal for restaurant grilling, and electricity cogeneration from sugarcane bagasse. This was part of an iterative process of testing and refining the framework and simultaneously demonstrating its application in the Mexican bioenergy context. This led to the conclusion that the resulting framework (a) provides a useful, quantitative, and comprehensive overview of both broad and specific sustainability aspects of the assessed system; (b) requires a balance of accessible but also scattered or sensitive data, similarly to most existing frameworks; (c) is highly flexible and applicable to both modern and traditional solid biofuels; and (d) is simple to communicate and interpret for a wide audience. Key directions for improvement of the framework are also discussed.

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“…Despite the benefits that WTE technologies can offer both in terms of power production and emissions reduction, the application of bioenergy systems encounters many barriers due to the amount and complexity of information relating to the development of such systems [15]. At the level of technology design assessment, the access to information about bioenergy systems and best practices for biomass production, harvesting and conversion appears to be complex as well as the manipulation of the data and specifications of different systems for the decision on the best technology for local biomass exploitation [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Recovery of the Biomass from Livestock Farms in Italy: The Case of Modena Province

Milani¹,

Montorsi²

2018

J. sustain. dev. energy water environ. syst.

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The overall energy conversion efficiency of the waste-to-energy technologies is strongly affected by the distance of the biomass supply and the rate available during the year. Therefore, a simulation tool for the evaluation of the main outputs of a power plant for the wastes exploitation is a useful instrument for investigating the best trade-off between the plant size and the biomass supply. Nevertheless, it usually involves a large number of data and an extensive training and expertise. This paper focuses on the development of a numerical tool for the comparison of different waste-to-energy technologies and thus supporting the selection of the best exploitation strategy based on the data usually accessible to administrations. The numerical approach employs validated numerical models for the considered biomass exploitation technologies and its capabilities are demonstrated by simulating a reference case: the energy recovery from manure of different livestock farms in the province of Modena (Italy). The electric and thermal power production from the manure available in the considered territory is estimated and the produced electric energy is balanced with the energy requirements of the local animal farms. The remaining amount of wastes that has to be disposed is also calculated and compared with the initial input to the systems. Finally, different strategies for distributed and centralized exploitation of the manure are investigated and the related plant size and production of electric and thermal energy are evaluated. The proposed approach and the developed numerical tool prove to be useful instruments for decision makers and can help the efficient exploitation of the biomasses available in a region.

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An approach to unify the appraisal framework for biomass conversion systems

Cited by 14 publications

References 58 publications

How to identify suitable ways for the hydrothermal treatment of wet bio-waste? A critical review and methods proposal

How to identify suitable ways for the hydrothermal treatment of wet bio-waste? A critical review and methods proposal

A Methodological Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Solid Biofuels Systems

Energy Recovery of the Biomass from Livestock Farms in Italy: The Case of Modena Province

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