Generation Bioethanol Production Research Articles

Second Generation Bioethanol Production from Soybean Hulls Pretreated with Imidazole as a New Solvent

Soybean hulls (SH) are the main industrial waste from soybean processing, representing 5–8% of the whole grain. Imidazole was employed for the hydrothermal pretreatment of SH and further bioethanol production. Different pretreatment temperatures (120 and 180 °C) and times (1 and 3 h) were tested. Lignin removal and glucose yield were significantly influenced by temperature. After 48 h of enzymatic hydrolysis of imidazole-treated SH (120 °C, 1 h), 32.7 g/L of glucose and 9.4 g/L of xylose were obtained. A maximum bioethanol yield of 78.9% was reached after 12 h of fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using SH enzymatic hydrolysate. Imidazole appears to be a potential alternative to pretreat lignocellulosic wastes such as SH for the production of second-generation biofuels and other biomolecules.

Statistical optimization of cellulase production and its efficacy in hesperidin extraction from orange peel and bioethanol production from rice straw by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation

Cellulolytic enzymes are of great interest for the hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass and their demand is increasing intensely due to their potential applications in second generation bioethanol production. In this study, cellulase production from Bacillus cereus KG10 was explored and the production media and cultural conditions were optimized through Box-Behnken design. Under optimized conditions, the cellulase activity was improved to 0.51 U/mL. The purity and the molecular mass of the enzyme (55.1 kDa) were confirmed by HPLC and MOLDI-TOF MS respectively. Additionally, cellulase mediated extraction of hesperidin was performed to prove extraction efficiency by ESI-MS. Likewise, the cellulase efficiency in bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass was also confirmed towards improving the ethanol yield. The results showed that higher amounts of reducing sugar 73.2 and 89.3 % were explored from cellulase mediated hydrolysis of rice straw than that from acidalkali mediated hydrolysis. A high ethanol yield was also achieved in media added with cellulase treated rice straw (38.1 g/L) than that of acid-alkali treated rice straw (27.4 g/L) through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process using cellulase from B. subtilis KG10 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Thus, the cellulase from B. cereus KG10 could be a potential candidate in various industrial sectors.

Advances and Challenges in Biocatalysts Application for High Solid-Loading of Biomass for 2nd Generation Bio-Ethanol Production

Growth in population and thereby increased industrialization to meet its requirement, has elevated significantly the demand for energy resources. Depletion of fossil fuel and environmental sustainability issues encouraged the exploration of alternative renewable eco-friendly fuel resources. Among major alternative fuels, bio-ethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass is the most popular one. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable resource which is ubiquitous on our planet. All the plant biomass is lignocellulosic which is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, intricately linked to each other. Filamentous fungi are known to secrete a plethora of biomass hydrolyzing enzymes. Mostly these enzymes are inducible, hence the fungi secrete them economically which causes challenges in their hyperproduction. Biomass’s complicated structure also throws challenges for which pre-treatments of biomass are necessary to make the biomass amorphous to be accessible for the enzymes to act on it. The enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass is the most sustainable way for fermentable sugar generation to convert into ethanol. To have sufficient ethanol concentration in the broth for efficient distillation, high solid loading >20% of biomass is desirable and is the crux of the whole technology. High solid loading offers several benefits including a high concentration of sugars in broth, low equipment sizing, saving cost on infrastructure, etc. Along with the benefits, several challenges also emerged simultaneously, like issues of mass transfer, low reaction rate due to water constrains in, high inhibitor concentration, non-productive binding of enzyme lignin, etc. This article will give an insight into the challenges for cellulase action on cellulosic biomass at a high solid loading of biomass and its probable solutions.

Pengaruh penambahan surfaktan pada fermentasi tandan kosong kelapa sawit dengan praperlakuan uap air panas bertekanan dengan katalis asam maleat

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) has high potency to be converted into second generation bioethanol production. OPEFB pretreated liquid hot water (LHW) assisted maleic acid (MA) pretreatment was used as substrate in simultaneous saccharification fermentation (SSF). This pretreatment was conducted at 180 °C for 70 min by using 1.5% (w/v) MA acid concentration with material and liquid ratio of 1:14. Subsequently, the pretreated samples were fermented by addition of surfactant, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 and amphiphilic lignin derivatives (A-LD) using Kluyveromyces marxianus InaCC Y119 yeast at temperature of 38 °C for 89 h. Before SSF, pretreated OPEFB was pre hydrolyzed by cellulase enzyme with enzyme loading 30 FPU/g at 50 °C for 3 h. Fermentation filtrate was taken at 0, 24, 48, 72, dan 89 h as much as 1.5 mL for reducing sugar and ethanol content determination. The surfactant addition can enhance reducing sugar and also ethanol content compared to control. The highest ethanol content of 1.251 g/L was found at fermentation of OPEFB pretreated MA with PEG 4000 surfactant at 89 h.

Design of experiment in preliminary optimization study of bioethanol production from Chlorella pyrenoidosa

As an alternative, sustainable energy form to replace fossil gasoline, the interest in producing bioethanol is still advancing. This is critical especially when third generation bioethanol production is focused, in which the fast-growing green algae is exploited as the feedstock. While the bioethanol production route is principally consistent regardless of the feedstock type, implementing optimization in bioethanol production is advantageous to the production as it presents optimum conditions based on the set variables. This study reports the design of experiment in preliminary analysis of optimization study in bioethanol production from Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Four factors (feedstock loading; NaOH concentration; hydrolysis time; hydrolysis temperature) are selected to determine the main response of reducing sugar as the main desired component for fermentation stage. Using response surface methodology, the design of experiment consists of 29 experimental runs with linear model as the suggested model.

Agro-Food Residues and Bioethanol Potential: A Study for a Specific Area

Bioethanol obtained from agro-food wastes could contribute to decrease the dependency on fossil resources, reduce the impact of fossil fuels on the environment, and mitigate the food versus fuel debate. This study is aimed to investigate the availability of residual inexpensive agro-food biomasses that could feed a second-generation bioethanol plant located in a specific area of North Eastern Italy. After the identification of all crops in the area, more than 40 agro-food residues were analyzed for their availability and compositions in terms of water, polysaccharides, and sugars potentially convertible into bioethanol. 574,166 Mg of residual wet lignocellulosic biomass corresponding to 297,325 Mg of dry material were found available for bioethanol conversion. The most promising substrates were wheat straw and vine shoots. Based on the chemical composition of residues, the potential attainable ethanol was determined. Theoretical potential ethanol production was estimated at nearly 72,000 Mg per year. This quantity extensively exceeds the minimum yearly capacity of a sustainable bioethanol plant previously identified as around 50,000 Mg of ethanol. Taken together, these results demonstrate that, in the analyzed area, agro-food residues are available in an amount that could sustain bioethanol production in a specific and restricted district. Techno-economical evaluations are in progress to assess the actual feasibility of installing a second generation bioethanol production plant in the area of interest.

Multicriteria evaluation of biomass residues in Portugal to second generation bioethanol production

Abstract Paper aims This study evaluates agricultural and forest residues in Portugal to select the best candidates to use in second generation bioethanol (2G bioethanol) production. Originality The growth in the significance and level of decisions in biomass resources to 2G bioethanol and the involved complexity clearly encourage a research strategy to identify and select the wastes according to a multiplicity of criteria. Research method To address the key research objective this research used a multicriteria decision analysis method, MACBETH, to structuring the values of concern and identifying the key criteria, to evaluating the main agricultural and forest waste with respect to each criterion, to weighting the criteria and analyzing the biomass residues overall attractiveness and exploring the model´s results. Main findings As main findings of the study we found that Eucalyptus waste is the most promising forest residue to produce lignocellulosic bioethanol followed by Paulownia Tomentosa waste. The utilization of forest residues to the production of bioethanol in Portugal may represent in the future an important economic activity with huge environmental benefits. Implications for theory and practice The multicriteria approach addressed the research objectives and is simple to use with great potential for circular economy strategy issues. The step-by-step explanation of the model building makes the approach highly acceptable to other practitioners.

Ethanol Production Potential of Sweet Sorghum in North and Central Ukraine

Background: Sweet sorghum (Sorghum saccharatum (L.) Moench) is a unique crop with great potential to serve both the food and energy industries. It is due to the possibility of (bio)ethanol production both from the juice and biomass of this crop. The sorghum stems juice contains sugar in the levels similar to that of sugarcane. Besides, low cultivation requirements for the sweet sorghum make this crop even more attractive for sugar and ethanol production. In terms of technology, sweet sorghum is seen as a transitional feedstock for the first to the second generation bioethanol production. However, effective technological development of the plant cultivation and processing in the Northern and Central Ukraine is restrained by the lack of a collection of sweet sorghum genotypes and adapted varieties for its large-scale cultivation. Additionally, no evaluations of potential (bio)ethanol productivity have been performed for this region, which is important for efficient implementation of novel biofuel-producing technologies and for successful development of a green economy. Objective: This research was aimed to create a pool of sweet sorghum genotypes with the involvement of worldwide germplasm, analyze their morphology and breed high-yielding plant lines for the efficient production of liquid biofuels for second-generation bioenergy. Based on that, we also aimed to explore the prospects regarding the efficiency of sweet sorghum cultivation for (bio)ethanol production in the Northern and Central Ukraine. Methods and Materials: A valuable gene pool of S. saccharatum (L.) Moench (41 samples) was created; in particular, high-performance genotypes were created for cultivation under the soil-climatic conditions of Ukraine. The bio-morphological features and the yield potential of the plants were determined and the biochemical composition of the phyto-raw materials was determined in different periods of vegetation, in particular, during the technical ripeness of the above-ground mass of plants. The more productive forms and varieties of sugar sorghum in terms of yield, dry matter content, sugar, and energy value of biomass during flowering and waxy ripeness are highlighted. The technological properties of plant biomass for the production of alternative liquid fuels (in particular, bioethanol) have been analyzed. Importantly, optimal cultivation conditions have been elaborated for the newly created sweet sorghum genotypes, and their productivity has also been evaluated. Moreover, for the first time, a detailed study on potential ethanol yield has been conducted. Results: Sweet sorghum has considerable potential in Ukraine as a new sugar-producing energy crop. The germplasm collection of this crop has been created (41 accessions), including introduced and acclimated genotypes and newly bred lines and varieties. The biological performance of sorghum in Ukraine and plant morphology have been analyzed. The most promising genotypes were used for breeding of new high-productive sweet sorghum varieties. The potential (bio)ethanol yield for different sugar feedstocks (juice, grain bagasse) can reach up to 11423 L/ha in total from juice, grain and bagasse. Conclusion: The estimated values of ethanol productivity are comparable to the results of other similar investigations. In conclusion, a high performance of sweet sorghum in Ukraine can be suggested.

Hydrothermal liquefaction versus catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of a bioethanol production stillage residue to platform chemicals: A comparative study

Biobased chemicals like phenols and aromatics are preferably produced from cheap biomass waste streams. In this work, we have explored the potential of a eucalyptus-derived second generation bioethanol production stillage (BPS) residue for this purpose. A comparative study between a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and a catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) step, as well as a 2-step HTL-HDO approach is reported, targeting at value-added low molecular weight platform chemicals (mainly alkylphenols and aromatics). HDO was observed to be a more suitable strategy than HTL for the production of organic oils enriched in valuable monomers. The direct HDO of the BPS using a commercial Ru/C catalyst at 450 °C and 100 bar H2 pressure led to an organic product oil (30.7 wt%) with a total monomer yield of 25.2 wt% (13.2 wt% of alkylphenolic+aromatics), compared to a 53.2 wt% of a product oil with 10.0 wt% monomers for the HTL step (305 °C). A 2-step HTL-HDO strategy was compared with the direct HDO approach. Comparable alkylphenolic+aromatic yields were obtained through this approach based on initial BPS intake (13.2 wt% vs 12.3 wt% for the direct HDO and HTL-HDO approach, respectively). Lower HTL temperatures (305 °C) for the first step are preferred to prevent over hydrogenation in the subsequent HDO step. As such, HTL appears a suitable pre-treatment for BPS and can (i) solve the issues related to the feeding of solids in pressurized continuous reactors for HDO and (ii) prevent coke formation during the HDO step, thus improving catalyst stability and durability.

Evaluación económica con opciones reales: biorefinería de bioetanol de segunda generación en Veracruz, México

La producción de bioetanol de primera generación en México podría traer inconvenientes, pues algunas materias primas provendrían de cultivos alimenticios como maíz y caña de azúcar, lo que provocaría inestabilidad de precios y desabasto en el mercado. El bioetanol de segunda generación sería una buena solución para tener combustibles menos contaminantes de manera sustentable. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la factibilidad económica, con opciones reales, de una biorefineria que producirá bioetanol a partir de desperdicios de caña de azúcar, se supone que estaría ubicada junto al mayor ingenio de Veracruz. Se estimó que la biorefinería tendrá una capacidad anual de 143 millones de litros y una inversión total del proyecto de 308 millones de dólares. Se empleó la opción real de abandono del proyecto, para 5,10, 15, 20 y 25 años y se hizo la evaluación tradicional para 30 años. Los resultados indican que hasta el año 20 la biorefineria tendría un valor actual neto de 27.3 millones de dólares, y para el año 30 un valor actual neto de 61.1 millones de dólares, el precio del bioetanol es la variable que más afecta a la rentabilidad de una biorefineria de este tipo.

Second generation bioethanol production from hemicellulolytic hydrolyzate of apple pomace by Pichia stipitis

ABSTRACT Investigation of novel feedstocks and microorganisms is very important for bioethanol production. Bioethanol production from hemicellulolytic hydrolyzate of the apple pomace was aimed in this study. Effects of some critical parameters such as biomass loading (5, 10, 15% w/v), supplements (nitrogen and mineral sources), and enzymatic hydrolysis on bioethanol production were optimized. The highest theoretical ethanol yield was observed as 84.1%, and Pichia stipitis produced 14.36 g/L bioethanol in the presence of the 10% (w/v) apple pomace loading. This is the first report about the enzymatic hydrolysis of the liquid fraction of apple pomace for bioethanol production by Pichia stipitis.

Synergic activity of Cel8Pa β-1,4 endoglucanase and Bg1Pa β-glucosidase from Paenibacillus xylanivorans A59 in beta-glucan conversion

In the efficient bioconversion of polysaccharides from lignocellulosic biomass, endoglucanases and β-glucosidases are key enzymes for the deconstruction of β-glucans. In this work, we focused on a GH8 endoglucanase (Cel8Pa) and a GH1 β-glucosidase (Bg1Pa) from Paenibacillus xylanivorans A59. Cel8Pa was active on a broad range of substrates, such as β-glucan from barley (24.5 IU/mg), lichenan (17.9 IU/mg), phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC) (9.7 IU/mg), carboxi-methylcellulose (CMC) (7.3 IU/mg), chitosan (1.4 IU/mg) and xylan (0.4 IU/mg). Bg1Pa was active on cellobiose (C2) and cello-oligosaccharides up to C6, releasing glucose as the main product. When both enzymes were used jointly, there was a synergic effect in the conversion rate of polysaccharides to glucose. Cel8Pa and Bg1Pa presented important properties for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes in second generation bioethanol production, such as tolerance to high concentration of glucose and ethanol.

Fluidized bed combustion of solid lignin-rich residues from bioethanol production

The behaviour of lignin-rich residues from a second generation bioethanol production plant has been investigated for fluidized bed combustion. The fuel has been characterized using lab-scale fluidized beds with the aid of different diagnostic and experimental protocols to investigate the devolatilization behaviour and rate, char burnout and fragmentation and attrition phenomena. The effect of bed temperature and fuel particle size onto the devolatilization rate was scrutinized, while the effect of the superficial gas velocity was studied onto the fragmentation and elutriation tendency during fluidized bed combustion experiments. A bimodal pattern in the time-resolved devolatilization rate was observed probably caused by the formation of a large-scale particle texture made of a macro-porous cortical region and of a core characterized by large voids. Devolatilization times were relatively long and increased when bed temperature was decreased. As regards fragmentation phenomena, primary fragmentation did not occur, while secondary fragmentation was active for large particles (>10 mm) at late conversion stage. Generation of fine carbonaceous particles by attrition was limited: it increased with the superficial gas velocity and it was more pronounced under inert than reactive conditions.

A robust flow cytometry-based biomass monitoring tool enables rapid at-line characterization of S. cerevisiae physiology during continuous bioprocessing of spent sulfite liquor

Assessment of viable biomass is challenging in bioprocesses involving complex media with distinct biomass and media particle populations. Biomass monitoring in these circumstances usually requires elaborate offline methods or sophisticated inline sensors. Reliable monitoring tools in an at-line capacity represent a promising alternative but are still scarce to date. In this study, a flow cytometry-based method for biomass monitoring in spent sulfite liquor medium as feedstock for second generation bioethanol production with yeast was developed. The method is capable of (i) yeast cell quantification against medium background, (ii) determination of yeast viability, and (iii) assessment of yeast physiology though morphological analysis of the budding division process. Thus, enhanced insight into physiology and morphology is provided which is not accessible through common online and offline biomass monitoring methods. To demonstrate the capabilities of this method, firstly, a continuous ethanol fermentation process of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with filtered and unfiltered spent sulfite liquor media was analyzed. Subsequently, at-line process monitoring of viability in a retentostat cultivation was conducted. The obtained information was used for a simple control based on addition of essential nutrients in relation to viability. Thereby, inter-dependencies between nutrient supply, physiology, and specific ethanol productivity that are essential for process design could be illuminated.Graphical abstract

Engineering of Pentose Transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Biotechnological Applications.

Lignocellulosic biomass yields after hydrolysis, besides the hexose D-glucose, D-xylose, and L-arabinose as main pentose sugars. In second generation bioethanol production utilizing the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it is critical that all three sugars are co-consumed to obtain an economically feasible and robust process. Since S. cerevisiae is unable to metabolize pentose sugars, metabolic pathway engineering has been employed to introduce the respective pathways for D-xylose and L-arabinose metabolism. However, S. cerevisiae lacks specific pentose transporters, and these sugars enter the cell with low affinity via glucose transporters of the Hxt family. Therefore, in the presence of D-glucose, utilization of D-xylose and L-arabinose is poor as the Hxt transporters prefer D-glucose. To solve this problem, heterologous expression of pentose transporters has been attempted but often with limited success due to poor expression and stability, and/or low turnover. A more successful approach is the engineering of the endogenous Hxt transporter family and evolutionary selection for D-glucose insensitive growth on pentose sugars. This has led to the identification of a critical and conserved asparagine residue in Hxt transporters that, when mutated, reduces the D-glucose affinity while leaving the D-xylose affinity mostly unaltered. Likewise, mutant Gal2 transporter have been selected supporting specific uptake of L-arabinose. In fermentation experiments, the transporter mutants support efficient uptake and consumption of pentose sugars, and even co-consumption of D-xylose and D-glucose when used at industrial concentrations. Further improvements are obtained by interfering with the post-translational inactivation of Hxt transporters at high or low D-glucose concentrations. Transporter engineering solved major limitations in pentose transport in yeast, now allowing for co-consumption of sugars that is limited only by the rates of primary metabolism. This paves the way for a more economical second-generation biofuels production process.

Fungal Glycoside Hydrolases of White-Rot Fungi for Cellulosic Biofuels Production: A Review

The second generation bioethanol production from lignocellulose materials through environmental friendly methods is one of the biggest challenges on industrial application. Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose has more benefits compared with the acid hydrolysis This method has the good specificity, low consumption of energy and chemicals and is more environmental friendly. However, the utilization of lignocellulose for bioethanol production through enzymatic methods is still confronting several difficulties for commercialization. Cellulose hydrolysis step has been reported to be the bottleneck of bioethanol production by enzymatic process, and the major barrier of this process is high price of enzymes, which making the process less economically feasible. For this reason, many developments are still needed in cellulase production from various organisms for cellulose saccharification. White-rot fungi have received much consideration for their valuable enzyme systems which can effective degrade lignocellulose biomass. These fungi could secrete extracellular oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes that degrade lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. This review provides a complete overview of the glycoside hydrolases enzymes production by white-rot fungus, such as endoglucanase, exoglucanase, β-glucosidase, cellobiose dehydrogenase and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. The use of white-rot fungus for low cost glycoside hydrolases enzymes production might be fascinating for second generation bioethanol production.

High-pressurizing green algae in third generation bioethanol production

The effects of fossil fuel combustion are famously concerning. 70% of the global production of carbon monoxide is accounted from transportation sector; the sector in which fossil fuel is popularly being continuously used. As one alternative fuel, bioethanol is a renewable fuel which have attracted many researchers in the pursuit of lowering dependency on fossil fuel and its negative effects to the environment. In third generation bioethanol production, green algae are deemed to carry high potential as the feedstock due to its ampleness, especially in a tropical country such as Indonesia. In this study the ability to produce simple sugars of green algae was observed through high-pressurization treatment. Different treatment pressures were achieved through varying temperature set in the autoclave: 110 and 130oC. The recorded pressure was up to about 180 kPa gage, and this treatment was also compared with non-pressurizing production method. Samples were analysed for reducing sugars content through DNS method. Since simple sugars are essential in the fermentation stage, the produced sugars from green algae are the indication of potential as the feedstock in bioethanol production. The impact of this study supports the progress of fossil fuel-to-biofuel scheme in Indonesia, and the outcome from this preliminary study can be used as the reference for further studies.

Preliminary study of acidic hydrolysis in third generation bioethanol production using green algae

In a mission to reduce the world’s dependency on non-renewable energy sources, through decades, researches are striving to find the best alternative energy substitutions. Considering the abundance availability of renewable sources, green algae are discovered as one promising candidate of future energy alternative. The aim of this research is to study the bioethanol production from green algae through acid hydrolysis. In this study, the acid hydrolysis was performed by utilizing hydrochloric acid (HCl) at concentration range of 0.5M-2.5M. Further, hydrolysis temperature was also varied at 50, 70 and 90°C. In this stage, a fixed hydrolysis period was set for 30 minutes. As acid pre-treatment is considered in this study as an effective way to convert carbohydrates into fermentable sugars, the sugars produced in this experiment would lead to an excellent grade of bioethanol produced. From the obtained result, green algae show a feasibly potential as the third-generation bioethanol feedstock. The highest theoretical ethanol value obtained by performing 2.5M of HCl at 90°C during retention time of 30 minutes.

Microwave irradiation pre-treatment in third generation bioethanol production from tropical green algae

Through centuries the side effect of the massively growing of population is the energy demand and consumption. As a result of this, the world energy used from the non-renewable fossil fuel has reached 80%. To counter this, researchers have found alternatives for this fossil fuel; and bioethanol is one of the alternative and sustainable options. One source of bioethanol that is believed carrying high production potential is photosynthetic algae or green algae. In this study, Chlorophyta (Green Algae) was hydrolyzed using microwave irradiation. Operation Mode (OM) was varied to observe its effect during the hydrolysis stage. Further, hydrolysis time (t) was also selected as the variable in this study to examine the result of reducing sugar. From the result of this experiment, it is projected that the sugar produced from hydrolysis assisted by microwave irradiation would bring a high-quality bioethanol production. Also, from this study, it would exhibit the great potential of bioethanol from green algae as the fossil fuel substitute in order to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy source.

Bioethanol supply chain network design considering land characteristics

Biomass is becoming an increasingly widespread source of energy. Yet land, as one of the most important resources in biomass production, is surprisingly understudied in the literature of biomass supply chain planning. This study proposes a novel framework that combines the literature of bioethanol supply chain design with agricultural land planning to simultaneously address optimal supply chain planning and sustainable land use in a bioethanol supply chain. A bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed to formulate the optimal design and planning of a bioethanol supply chain network considering competition of food and biomass feedstock over the available croplands. The proposed model is capable of making strategic decisions (i.e. locations and capacities of facilities, sourcing and allocation of biomass feedstocks to biorefineries), along with some tactical decisions (i.e. land planning, inventory and production of both biomass feedstock and bioethanol). The model incorporates the two objectives of minimum cost and maximum suitability of crops with their assigned croplands. A novel integration of the FAO framework, the best-worst multi-criteria decision-making method, PROMETHEE II and GIS is used to determine the suitability of available croplands according to the croplands’ soil and topographical characteristics. The performance of the proposed model is demonstrated through a multi-feedstock bioethanol supply chain in Fars province, Iran. It is concluded that the proposed integrated land planning-network design framework outperforms hierarchical approaches in which network design and land planning problems are solved separately in a sequential manner. Also, the case study shows that conditional on implementing second generation bioethanol production, Fars province has the potential to satisfy three percent of the fuel demand for transportation in the country.