Biomass logistics analysis for large scale biofuel production: case study of loblolly pine and switchgrass

Xiaoming Lu; Mitch R Withers; Navid Seifkar; Randall P Field; Steven R H Barrett; Howard J Herzog

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2015.02.032

Biomass logistics analysis for large scale biofuel production: case study of loblolly pine and switchgrass

Bioresour Technol. 2015 May:183:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.02.032. Epub 2015 Feb 13.

Authors

Xiaoming Lu¹, Mitch R Withers², Navid Seifkar¹, Randall P Field³, Steven R H Barrett², Howard J Herzog¹

Affiliations

¹ MIT Energy Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
² Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
³ MIT Energy Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: rpfield@mit.edu.

PMID: 25710677
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.02.032

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the costs, energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the biomass supply chain for large scale biofuel production. Two types of energy crop were considered, switchgrass and loblolly pine, as representative of herbaceous and woody biomass. A biomass logistics model has been developed to estimate the feedstock supply system from biomass production through transportation. Biomass in the form of woodchip, bale and pellet was investigated with road, railway and waterway transportation options. Our analysis indicated that the farm or forest gate cost is lowest for loblolly pine whole tree woodchip at $39.7/dry tonne and highest for switchgrass round bale at $72.3/dry tonne. Switchgrass farm gate GHG emissions is approximately 146kgCO2e/dry tonne, about 4 times higher than loblolly pine. The optimum biomass transportation mode and delivered form are determined by the tradeoff between fixed and variable costs for feedstock shipment.

Keywords: Biofuel production; Biomass costs; Biomass logistics; Biomass transportation; GHG emissions.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / analysis
Biofuels* / economics
Biomass*
Costs and Cost Analysis
Forests
Greenhouse Effect
Models, Theoretical
Panicum / chemistry*
Pinus taeda / chemistry*
Ships
Thermodynamics
Transportation* / economics
Wood / economics

Substances

Air Pollutants
Biofuels