Abstract
A methodological approach to estimate the sustainability performance of biorefineries is proposed as a way to elucidate the best alternative to upgrade biomass under a specific context. This methodology is based on the estimation of technical, economic, environmental, and social metrics. The methodology provides flexibility to design biorefineries using knowledge-based or optimization approaches. The advantage of the optimization approach is the possibility to ensure the economic feasibility of a process configuration without repeating the dimensions analysis for different scenarios. Then, the sustainability index is proposed as an indicator to compare different biorefinery configurations wherever. An avocado case study was analyzed considering a superstructure based on the possible upgrading pathways at a small-scale level. The sustainability index for a biorefinery addressed to producing avocado oil, animal feed, biogas, and electricity was about 54%. This performance suggests the need of improving processing lines and proposing new products. Finally, the sustainability index is proposed as an indicator easy to calculate, analyze, and understand for stakeholders and shareholders (i.e., decision-making groups).
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