Integration of product design to supply chain through systems’ approach for diesel, biodiesel and alcohol blends

Abstract

Product design, manufacture, and renewable market biofuels at the targeted cost, for time, and quality level, product design optimization (PDO) must be integrated with supply chain optimization (SCO). This research aimed to develop a systematic methodological framework that integrates biomass product design and supply chain for biofuels production. This study was focused on the production of cellulosic biobutanol from oil palm fronds (OPF) from oil palm plantations in southern Malaysia, Johor. In PDO, a computer-aided approach was developed to formulate the optimal fuel blends of diesel/biodiesel/alcohol, satisfying the ASTM D975 and EN 590. Four alcohols have been studied including methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol. A new methodological framework used that integrates a two-stage PDO model to determine the feasible clean diesel (diesel/biodiesel/alcohol) using linear programming and determining the optimal blend by applying the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was developed. Notably, the PDO highlights the predictive analysis of particulate matter (PM), nitride oxide (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using a rigorous approach. The effects of cetane number and oxygen content of the fuel blends on PM, NOx, and CO2 emissions are presented in this research. Then, in the final stage, this research emphasized the strategic and operational planning and development of PDO and SCO models. The PDO and SCO model adopted general algebraic modeling language (GAMS), ArcGIS, and ExpertChoice to obtain the optimal biorefinery site locations and oil palm fronds feedstock availability and the supplier. The PDO results show that the optimal fuel blend consists of 70 % diesel, 20 % biodiesel, and 10 % butanol, reducing 35 % NOx and 36 % CO2. The SCO results of only one optimal biorefinery with the lowest emissions and minimal cost were selected among the eight potential biorefinery locations. A centralized biorefinery located within 15 km to a demand centre with lower emissions and minimal cost is required to supply clean diesel annual production demand. A sensitivity analysis was executed for the AHP results validation. Conclusively, the least cost and lower emissions of clean diesel production can be developed by systematic and easy-to-understand integration models; PDO and SCO. All the findings from this thesis are expected to inform the existing policy makers and initiatives regarding greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy production, and resource efficiency improvement for managing environmental sustainability.