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Modeling Woody Biomass Procurement for Bioenergy Production at the Atikokan Generating Station in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Author

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  • Md. Bedarul Alam

    (Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada)

  • Reino Pulkki

    (Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada
    Department of Forest and Wood Science, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa)

  • Chander Shahi

    (Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada)

  • Thakur Upadhyay

    (Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada)

Abstract

Efficient procurement and utilization of woody biomass for bioenergy production requires a good understanding of biomass supply chains. In this paper, a dynamic optimization model has been developed and applied to estimate monthly supply and procurement costs of woody biomass required for the Atikokan Generating Station (AGS) in northwestern Ontario, based on its monthly electricity production schedule. The decision variables in the model are monthly harvest levels of two types of woody biomass, forest harvest residues and unutilized biomass, from 19,315 forest depletion cells (each 1 km 2 ) for a one year planning horizon. Sixteen scenarios are tested to examine the sensitivity of the cost minimization model to changing economic and technological parameters. Reduction in moisture content and improvement of conversion efficiency showed relatively higher reductions in monthly and total costs of woody biomass feedstock for the AGS. The results of this study help in understanding and designing decision support systems for optimal biomass supply chains under dynamic operational frameworks.

Suggested Citation

  • Md. Bedarul Alam & Reino Pulkki & Chander Shahi & Thakur Upadhyay, 2012. "Modeling Woody Biomass Procurement for Bioenergy Production at the Atikokan Generating Station in Northwestern Ontario, Canada," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(12), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:5:y:2012:i:12:p:5065-5085:d:21906
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Malladi, Krishna Teja & Sowlati, Taraneh, 2018. "Biomass logistics: A review of important features, optimization modeling and the new trends," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 587-599.
    2. Saghaei, Mahsa & Ghaderi, Hadi & Soleimani, Hamed, 2020. "Design and optimization of biomass electricity supply chain with uncertainty in material quality, availability and market demand," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    3. Kanematsu, Yuichiro & Oosawa, Kazutake & Okubo, Tatsuya & Kikuchi, Yasunori, 2017. "Designing the scale of a woody biomass CHP considering local forestry reformation: A case study of Tanegashima, Japan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 160-172.
    4. Mobtaker, A. & Ouhimmou, M. & Audy, J.-F. & Rönnqvist, M., 2021. "A review on decision support systems for tactical logistics planning in the context of forest bioeconomy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    5. Krystel K. Castillo-Villar, 2014. "Metaheuristic Algorithms Applied to Bioenergy Supply Chain Problems: Theory, Review, Challenges, and Future," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-33, November.

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