Abstract
This paper investigates the optimization of biomass terminal equipment deployment. A mixed integer linear programming model is developed and applied to minimize the terminal’s investment and operational costs related to dedicated and partially used or shared equipment between a terminal’s operational steps. The results minimize annual terminal costs through equipment and infrastructure selection and utilization. Tipping points where the technology and equipment type or size change in relation to the increasing throughput are highlighted. Analytical results emphasize the importance of storage costs in all biomass terminals, as well as the critical influence of operational costs in larger facilities.
Highlights
Biomass use in the European Union (EU) is expected to significantly grow in the co-firing and heating sectors by 2030 (European Biomass Association, 2016)
It has been shown that the model presented and developed in this paper is fit for its intended purpose: identifying the optimal selection and utilization of equipment of a dedicated biomass terminal in terms of total annual costs
Computational results based on real-life input data for biomass bulk terminals indicate that the optimum size of terminals in order to achieve the minimum cost per ton of throughput is achieved at 5 Mt of throughput and beyond
Summary
Biomass use in the European Union (EU) is expected to significantly grow in the co-firing and heating sectors by 2030 (European Biomass Association, 2016). The equipment at a port terminal handling biomass need to match biomass's specific properties This includes designed equipment (e.g. grabs) that minimize product deterioration; fully covered or enclosed transportation and storage facilities; spark detectors, fire detection and suppression systems and temperature monitoring through the whole handling chain. This is not entirely realized at the moment; traded volumes are low, so most terminal operators choose not to invest in specialized infrastructure (Dafnomilis et al, 2017). The results can assist terminal operators and port authorities with strategic level planning decisions related to biomass terminal investments
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