Biomass supply chain design and analysis: Basis, overview, modeling, challenges, and future

Biofuels are identified as the potential solution for depleting fossil fuel reserves, increasing oil prices, and providing a clean, renewable energy source. The major barrier preventing the commercialization of lignocellulosic biorefineries is the complex conversion process and their respective supply chain. Efficient supply chain management of a lignocellulosic biomass is crucial for success of second generation biofuels. This paper systematically describes energy needs, energy targets, biofuel feedstocks, conversion processes, and finally provides a comprehensive review of Biomass Supply Chain (BSC) design and modeling. Specifically, the paper presents a detailed review of mathematical programming models developed for BSC and identifies key challenges and potential future work. This review will provide readers with a starting point for understanding biomass feedstocks and biofuel production as well as detailed analysis of the BSC modeling and design.