@article{hossain_jones_hartley_thompson_langholtz_davis_2022, title={Nth-plant scenario for forest resources and short rotation woody crops: Biorefineries and depots in the contiguous US}, volume={325}, ISSN={["1872-9118"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119881}, DOI={10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119881}, abstractNote={Estimating the US potential of woody material is of vital importance to ensure cost-effective supply logistics and develop a sustainable bioenergy and bioproducts industry. We analyzed a mature conversion technology for woody resources for the contiguous US that takes advantage of economies of scale: the nth-plant. We developed a database to quantify the total accessible woody biomass within a distributed network of preprocessing depots and biorefineries considering both quality specifications for conversion and a target cost to compete with fossil fuels. We considered two categories of woody biomass: 1) forest residues from trees, tops and limbs produced from conventional thinning and timber harvesting operations as well as non-timber tree removal; and 2) short rotation woody crops such as poplar, willow, pine, and eucalyptus. A mixed integer linear programming model was developed to analyze scenarios with woody feedstock blends at variable biomass ash contents and cost targets at the biorefinery. When considering a target cost of $85.51/dry ton (2016$) at the biorefinery, the maximum accessible biomass from forest residues in 2040 remained constant at 106 million dry tons regardless of ash targets. Including short rotation woody crops as part of the blend increased the total accessible biomass to 153 and 195 million dry tons at ash targets of 1% and 1.75%, respectively. We concluded from our analysis that woody resources could address about 55% of EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) target of 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuel.}, journal={APPLIED ENERGY}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Hossain, Tasmin and Jones, Dniela S. and Hartley, Damon S. and Thompson, David N. and Langholtz, Matthew and Davis, Maggie}, year={2022}, month={Nov} }
 @article{forsberg_dale_jones_hossain_morais_wendt_2021, title={Replacing liquid fossil fuels and hydrocarbon chemical feedstocks with liquid biofuels from large-scale nuclear biorefineries}, volume={298}, ISSN={["1872-9118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117225}, DOI={10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117225}, abstractNote={Liquid fossil fuels (1) enable transportation and (2) provide energy for mobile work platforms and (3) supply dispatchable energy to highly variable demand (seasonal heating and peak electricity). We describe a system to replace liquid fossil fuels with drop-in biofuels including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Because growing biomass removes carbon dioxide from the air, there is no net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from burning biofuels. In addition, with proper management, biofuel systems can sequester large quantities of carbon as soil organic matter, improving soil fertility and providing other environmental services. In the United States liquid biofuels can potentially replace all liquid fossil fuels. The required system has two key features. First, the heat and hydrogen for conversion of biomass into high-quality liquid fuels is provided by external low-carbon energy sources--nuclear energy or fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration. Using external energy inputs can almost double the energy content of the liquid fuel per unit of biomass feedstock by fully converting the carbon in biomass into a hydrocarbon fuel. Second, competing effectively with fossil fuels requires very large biorefineries—the equivalent of a 250,000 barrel per day oil refinery. This requires commercializing methods for converting local biomass into high-density storable feedstocks that can be economically shipped to large-scale biorefineries.}, journal={APPLIED ENERGY}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Forsberg, C. W. and Dale, B. E. and Jones, D. S. and Hossain, T. and Morais, A. R. C. and Wendt, L. M.}, year={2021}, month={Sep} }
 @article{hossain_jones_hartley_griffel_lin_burli_thompson_langholtz_davis_brandt_2021, title={The nth-plant scenario for blended feedstock conversion and preprocessing nationwide: Biorefineries and depots}, volume={294}, ISSN={["1872-9118"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116946}, DOI={10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116946}, abstractNote={The sustainability of the biofuel industry depends on the development of a mature conversion technology on a national level that can take advantage of the economies of scale: the nth-plant. Defining the future location and supply logistics of conversion plants is imperative to ultimately transform the nation's renewable biomass resources into cost-competitive, high-performance feedstock for production of biofuels and bioproducts. Since the US has put restrictions on production levels of conventional biofuels from edible resources, the nation needs to plan for the widespread accessibility and development of the cellulosic biofuel scenario. Conventional feedstock supply systems will be unable to handle cellulosic biomass nationwide, making it essential to expand the industry with an advanced feedstock supply system incorporating a distributed network of preprocessing depots and conversion plants, or biorefineries. Current studies are mostly limited to designing supply systems for specific regions of the country. We developed a national database with potential locations for depots and biorefineries to meet the nation's target demand of cellulosic biofuel. Blended feedstock with switchgrass and corn stover (harvested by either a two- or three-pass method) are considered in a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model to deliver on-spec biomass that considers both, a desired quantity and quality at the biorefinery. The model solves for a network of varying size depots that supply to biorefineries of 725,000 dry tons/year. A total delivered feedstock cost that is less than $79.07/dry tons (2016$) is evaluated for years 2022, 2030, and 2040. In 2022, 124 depots and 59 biorefineries could be supplied with 42.8 million dt of corn stover and switchgrass. In 2030 and 2040, the total accessible biomass could increase to 215% and 393% respectively when compared to 2022. However, an $8/dry tons reduction in targeted delivery cost could reduce total accessible biomass by 67%. Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas were identified as potential states with a strong biofuel economy given that they had six or more biorefineries located in all scenarios. In some scenarios, Colorado, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi and South Carolina would greatly benefit from a depot network as these could only deliver to a biorefinery in a nearby state. To elaborate the impact of a nationwide consideration, the findings were compared with existing literature for different US regions. We also present results for biorefinery capacities that are double, triple and quadruple in size.}, journal={APPLIED ENERGY}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Hossain, Tasmin and Jones, Daniela and Hartley, Damon and Griffel, L. Michael and Lin, Yingqian and Burli, Pralhad and Thompson, David N. and Langholtz, Matthew and Davis, Maggie and Brandt, Craig}, year={2021}, month={Jul} }