Biomass waste-to-energy supply chain optimization with mobile production modules

Biomass waste is a naturally occurring agricultural byproduct. It is estimated that about 60 million tons per year can be extracted sustainably without altering land use patterns or competing with existing de-mands. Utilizing this waste is logistically challenging due to the inherent low density and distributed availability of biomass. This work proposes a supply chain optimization problem which decides where to locate and relocate mobile and modular production units to convert biomass waste to energy. Both deter-ministic and two-stage stochastic formulations are presented, accounting for the inherent uncertainty of where and how much biomass is produced. The framework is applied to case studies analyzing the states of Minnesota and North Carolina. Results from both states show that mobile production modules lead to supply chain cost savings of 1-4%, or millions of dollars per year. Additionally, this work demonstrates the benefit of mobile modules as a means of protecting against uncertainty. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Biomass waste is a naturally occurring agricultural byproduct estimated to have a sustainable extraction rate of about 60 million tons per year. This study proposes a supply chain optimization problem to convert biomass waste to energy using mobile and modular production units, with results showing cost savings of 1-4% in Minnesota and North Carolina. Additionally, the use of mobile modules demonstrates benefits in protecting against uncertainty.