Multi-criteria efficiency assessment of international biomass supply chain pathways using Data Envelopment Analysis

JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

卷:237

Article

Rentizelas, Athanasios¹  Melo, Isotilia Costa²  Alves Junior, Paulo Nocera²  Campoli, Jessica Suarez²  do Nascimento Rebelatto, Daisy Aparecida² 

[1] Univ Strathclyde, Dept Design Manufacture & Engn Management, 75 Montrose St, Glasgow G1 1XJ, Lanark, Scotland

[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Prod Engn, EESC Sao Carlos Engn Sch, Av Trabalhador Sao Carlense 400, BR-13566590 Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil

关键词: Efficiency assessment;    Data envelopment analysis (DEA);    International supply chain;    Biomass;    Torrefaction;    Brazil;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117690

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Most European countries have committed to ambitious emissions reduction goals. Energy generation in particular is responsible for more than 30% of global emissions, where significant focus has been placed on renewable energy generation, including biomass. On the one hand, there are countries, like the UK, where the biomass stock is insufficient to meet the demand; on the other hand, there are countries, like Brazil, where the stock significantly exceeds the demand. To promote a natural symbiosis, it is necessary to take on the challenge of transporting biomass through long distances in an environmentally and economically efficient manner. This paper aims to assess the efficiency of alternative pathways of international biomass supply-chains. The alternatives involve different biomass origin regions, transportation modes, export ports and processing technologies, including torrefaction. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used for the first time to assess the efficiency of the alternative biomass supply chain pathways in a Latin American context, considering multiple-criteria relating to economic and environmental performance simultaneously, such as the biomass delivered cost, the environmental impact and the fossil energy consumption. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to analyse the robustness of the results under uncertainty in parameter values. The DEA approach presented can assist the process of planning biomass sourcing and improve decision-making under multiple decision criteria. The results can support medium- and long-term strategic decisions for decision- and policy-makers. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free