On the Benefit of Modular and Mobile Production Units in Biomass Waste-to-energy Supply Chains

Upgrading biomass waste to energy is a promising technology which enhances the economic values of crop residues such as wheat straw and corn stover, which are typically present in excess in highly agricultural regions such as the United States Midwest. In this work, gasification of biomass to turn a gas turbine is considered as a technology for upgrading biomass waste to energy. We propose to use modular and mobile production units to limit the transportation cost of moving biomass to energy production facilities in a distributed supply chain. We present a generic optimization framework for determining the optimal location and relocation of gasifier and turbine modules over time. To demonstrate the efficacy of our framework, we apply it to a case study where biomass residue in Minnesota is converted to energy. The results show the economic benefits of considering mobility of modules in processing biomass waste, which is produced at different times in different parts of the state.