Operations Research 2025
Abstract Submission

2289. Optimizing Biogas Transport Logistics with restrictions on nutrient redistribution

Invited abstract in session FA-9: Renewable gases and supply chains , stream Energy and Sustainability.

Friday, 8:45-10:15
Room: H15

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Nils-Hassan Quttineh
Department of Mathematics
2. Roozbeh Feiz
Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University
3. Karin Tonderski
Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University

Abstract

World instability in late years have demonstrated vulnerability in global supply chains, emphasizing the need for robust systems to ensure continuous supply of energy and food. Anaerobic digestion has emerged as a key technology in addressing these challenges, and as a result, ambitious biomethane production goals have been set within the EU. By converting low-grade biomass, such as manure and agricultural residues, into biomethane and nutrient-rich digestate, biogas plants contribute simultaneously to renewable energy generation and nutrient recycling. But like any other large-scale bioenergy generation, they rely on extensive transportation of biomass across the landscape.

Using a MILP model, we investigate how biogas plants can sustainably and cost-efficiently expand their production considering spatial variability of biomass supply and regional demand for nutrients. We use geospatial databases to map biomass availability (manure types, green residues, etc.), nutrient demand based on crop data, and road network databases to find accurate transportation distances and transportation costs.

The area of interest is discretized into 5 km x 5 km grid cells. The MILP model has constraints for limited supply of substrates in each grid, as well as maximum demands for nutrients N (nitrogen) and P (phosphorus) in order to avoid eutrophication. At the biogas plant, constraints are needed to guarantee a feasible substrate mixture in order for the plant to run properly. The objective function consists of transportation costs, both for collecting substrates and for redistribution of the biomass digestate. Other costs considered are purchasing costs of substrates and processing costs at the biogas plant.

Keywords

Status: accepted

Back to the list of papers