Multicriteria Definition of Small-Scale Biorefineries Based on a Statistical Classification

Abstract

Biorefineries have many possible designs and therefore, present varied benefits in regards to sustainable development. Evaluating these biorefineries is central for the domain, and, as small-scale biorefineries (SSB) are commonly opposed to the large ones, specifying the concept of scale of a biorefinery is essential as well. However, there is no consensual definition of the “scale”, and the meaning of the term changes with the context. This paper presents a methodology to specify the concept of scale by grouping various biorefineries processing lignocellulosic biomass according to factors related to feedstock, process, economy and mobility of the facility, without any predetermined pattern. Data from 15 operational biorefineries are analyzed using a multivariate analysis combined with a hierarchical clustering. The classification obtained categorizes biorefineries into four design classes: smallest, small, hybrid and large scale. Small-scale biorefineries are characterized by a small investment cost (less than 2 M€), a low processing capacity (less than 100 t/day) and a low process complexity, while the end-products’ added value is variable. The mobility of the plants is a sufficient, but not necessary, criterion to have a small-scale biorefinery. Finally, the designs of the investigated biorefineries can be explained by two main trade-offs: one between the mobility and the processing capacity-investment cost, and the other between the process complexity and the added value.

Closing the Nutrient Loop—The New Approaches to Recovering Biomass Minerals during the Biorefinery Processes

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Nutrichemical alterations in different fractions of multiple-harvest alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) green biomass fortified with various selenium forms

“…More than 30 million hectares of alfalfa are cultivated worldwide (Barros et al 2019). Wet fractionation offers alternative utilization of alfalfa designing mobile smallscale biorefineries and operating in climate-smart way (Fathollahi et al 2018;Ait Sair et al 2021).…”

Multi-purpose biorefineries and their social impacts: a systematic literature review

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