Modelling the value of a rural biorefinery—part II: analysis and implications

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Abstract

This paper describes a system analysis and profitability evaluation of integrated biorefinery systems in the UK. The profitability of wheat/rape biorefineries is studied using appropriate data for the Eastern Counties of England. The model used analyses the process sequences from harvesting and transporting through to various storage and fractionation lines, determining the optimum profit of the system. The biorefinery systems are compared with conventional grain and straw harvesting situations, analysing the added value of such systems. A wholecrop wheat biorefinery is shown to be profitable when it includes processes of straw milling or enzymatic extraction. This system produces increased value products such as dietry fibre and bakery syrup from grain or internode chip/fibre from the straw. No rape biorefinery analysed is profitable.

Introduction

Using the model described by Audsley and Sells (in press) this paper analyses biorefinery systems which process wheat and rape to produce products such as industrial flour, gluten and bakery syrup from wheat grain; oil and rape protein from rape seed and internode chips from the straw.

The analyses include the effect on the surrounding farms (Sells, 2000) contracting to the biorefinery as well as the profitability of the biorefinery factory and transportation. To analyse whether the systems defined are more profitable than conventional practice the system value is compared with the value of farmers selling their crops directly as grain and straw.

Section snippets

Definition of the biorefinery systems

A biorefinery is a factory consisting of a collection of processes which takes agricultural inputs from the surrounding area, and produces a wide range of products which are specifically targeted at different market uses and are refined to their specification. The concept of a rural biorefinery is that a smaller biorefinery will on the one hand have reduced transport costs for bulky inputs and on the other hand be able to more profitably produce smaller quantities of products for smaller or

Wheat biorefineries

Table 2 gives the resulting system profit values for wheat biorefinery scenarios using 10 machinery sets. These machinery sets explore all the possible options of grain/straw separation and straw milling including the grain only option of combine harvesting. Three types of wheat biorefineries are X's considered independently (shown in the right three columns) and it is assumed the participating forms give the appropriate type of wheat. The two types of wheat are feed wheat and baking wheat, the

Conclusions

A general method for economic analysis of sequences of fractionation has been developed. This method has been used to determine the optimum annual profit of a central biorefinery system, i.e. where crop(s) (wholecrop or just grain/straw) are harvested and transported from surrounding farms, processed (including storage, drying and fractionation) to produce saleable products (if applicable, for a given demand) throughout the year.

Use of the model for UK conditions, with appropriate data sought

References (5)

  • Audsley, E., 1987. The Effects of Field Burning Restrictions, Straw Incorporation and Alternative Uses as Fuel, Fibre...
  • Audsley, E., Sells, J.E. Modelling the value of a rural biorefinery. Part I: the model decription. Agricultural Systems...
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Previously J.E. Sells.

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