Supply chain of biorefineries based on Coffee Cut-Stems: Colombian case

Abstract

The viability of bio-based processes is linked to key factors, such as technical, economic, environmental, social, experimental and logistic performance. The suitable synergy between these factors allows achieving a sustainable process. In this sense, two biorefineries based on Coffee Cut-Stems (CCS), which have already been assessed from the five perspectives, are analyzed in the context of a supply chain (SC) that considers the feedstock availability and main products demand. The SC is located in Colombia according to different targets, such as production of second-generation ethanol and biomass for electricity generation. The results obtained are organized in five cases of study. As a result, the subregions, such as “Antioquia_Suroeste”, “Huila_Sur”, “Santander”, “Tolima_Sur” and “Quindio” are more suitable to install a biorefinery. The larger the amount of available feedstock in a subregion, the lower the transportation costs. However, regions with limited availability must be close to others with resources for a biorefinery to be installed. In remote zones and those with zero feedstock availability, the possibility that a biorefinery exists is low. It is possible to substitute 40% of the ethanol demand using CSS remaining with an investment of 77.88 M-USD. However, only 0.43% of the electricity demand can be achieved using residues.