Multidisciplinary Approach in Developing Region Specific Optimization Tool for Sustainable Biorefining

Biofuels are an emerging alternative to the fossil based fuel upon which we have become dependent to supply our energy needs. Widely distributed source locations, varying feedstock and specific regional conditions makes it challenging to develop an optimization model that can be applied to any region to estimate the overall economics of the process. This paper will illustrate a novel approach to develop a region specific optimization tool which links various aspects of the biofuel supply chain like site location, transportation network, thermochemical and biochemical processing and environmental impacts. This contribution shows how various small-scale optimization models can be combined, resulting in a complete, multivariable economic optimization model for a regional biomass network. This tool will be further tested and validated using the Jackson Purchase region of Western Kentucky, as a case study.