Risk-based multistage stochastic mixed-integer optimization for biofuel supply chain management under multiple uncertainties

CO2 emissions from the transportation sector account for 22% of global emissions. Blending biofuels with fossil fuels is a promising method for reducing these emissions and ensuring energy security. One of the most important and challenging aspects of the biofuel production process is the design of supply chains that integrate various types of biomasses under multiple uncertainties. The aim of this study is to address this issue by proposing a multi-stage stochastic program for strategic and tactical planning in multi-feedstock biofuel supply chain networks under uncertainties of biomass supply and biofuel demand. The proposed model minimizes the total annualized cost by selecting raw materials, positioning production facilities, placing storage facilities, and defining deferral paths for each feedstock. In addition, a new dynamic method of the conditional value at risk is adopted to consider the risk hedge. Deterministic, stochastic, and risk-based models are compared, and case studies based on the South Korean context show the effectiveness of the model and the algorithm. Computational results indicate that considering risk can increase biofuel expected production cost by up to 88%. It also shows that biomass transportation is the most affected part of the supply chain in risk assessment. Furthermore, it indicates that a value of 0.5 is the most effective risk aversion factor.

Automated summary

This study proposes a multi-stage stochastic program for strategic and tactical planning in multi-feedstock biofuel supply chain networks. The results show that considering risk can increase biofuel production cost, and biomass transportation is the most affected part of the supply chain.