Economic optimisation of a UK advanced biofuel supply chain

There has been a growing interest in liquid biofuels during the recent years due to concerns about security of energy supply and global climate change. Targets have been set throughout the globe for blending biofuels into conventional petroleum fuels. In this paper, an optimisation framework for the strategic design of a hybrid first/second generation ethanol supply chain is presented. The model seeks to address sustainability issues such as the use of food crops, land use requirements of second generation crops and competition for biomass with other sectors. The applicability of the model is demonstrated with a case study of ethanol production in the UK.