Tools for Optimization of Biomass-to-Energy Conversion Processes

Abstract

Biomasses are renewable sources used in energy conversion processes to obtain diverse products through different technologies. The production chain, which involves delivery, logistics, pre-treatment, storage and conversion as general components, can be costly and uncertain due to inherent variability. Optimization methods are widely applied for modeling the biomass supply chain (BSC) for energy processes. In this qualitative review, the main aspects and global trends of using geographic information systems (GISs), linear programming (LP) and neural networks to optimize the BSC are presented. Modeling objectives and factors considered in studies published in the last 25 years are reviewed, enabling a broad overview of the BSC to support decisions at strategic, tactical and operational levels. Combined techniques have been used for different purposes: GISs for spatial analyses of biomass; neural networks for higher heating value (HHV) correlations; and linear programming and its variations for achieving objectives in general, such as costs and emissions reduction. This study reinforces the progress evidenced in the literature and envisions the increasing inclusion of socio-environmental criteria as a challenge in future modeling efforts.

Biomass Waste-Derived Catalysts for Biodiesel Production: Recent Advances and Key Challenges

“…Sensitivity to moisture [231][232] and air [32] Water adsorbs on hydrophilic solid acids, causing partial deactivation and framework accounts for nearly three-quarters, biogas (CH4) 14 %, and municipal solid waste 12 %. Fuelwood (firewood, charcoal, sawdust) and other forms of 'traditional biomass', that is, renewable biomass, generated up to 12.5 % of produced energy in 2021 [233], and is estimated as having contributed around 64 % of the total world supply of combustible renewables to date. More than two thirds of the renewable energy mix is currently made up of energy from biomass, making it the leading renewable energy resource globally [234].…”

Optimizing Forest-Biomass-Distribution Logistics from a Multi-Level Perspective—Review

“…The optimization model can be applied to various solutions of adopted distribution logistics when the basic assumptions are equivalent. The development of LCA algorithms under development and advances in computational software [75,76] make it possible to consider an increasing number of decision variables and provide optimal solutions for the defined business-optimization objective function [122][123][124][125].…”

Integrating Linear Programming with GIS for Optimizing Biomass Supply Chains to Power Plant

“…Optimization methods are widely used for modelling the biomass supply chain for energy purposes [28][29][30]. Methods using geographic information system (GIS) are used to identify the location of bioenergy plants or accurate assessment of transport distances [31][32][33][34].…”