Mapping and Analysis of Biomass Supply Chains in Andalusia and the Republic of Ireland

Jennifer Attard, Helena McMahon, Pat Doody, Johan Belfrage, Catriona Clark, Judit Anda Ugarte, Maria Natividad Pérez-Camacho, María del Sol Cuenca Martín, Antonio José Giráldez Morales and James Gaffey
Additional contact information
Jennifer Attard: Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Institute of Technology Tralee, Dromtacker, Tralee, Co. Kerry V92 HD4V, Ireland
Helena McMahon: Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Institute of Technology Tralee, Dromtacker, Tralee, Co. Kerry V92 HD4V, Ireland
Pat Doody: Intelligent Mechatronics and RFID (IMaR), Institute of Technology Tralee, Dromtacker, Tralee, Co. Kerry V92 HD4V, Ireland
Johan Belfrage: Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Inovo building, 121 George Street, Glasgow G1 1RD, UK
Catriona Clark: Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Inovo building, 121 George Street, Glasgow G1 1RD, UK
Judit Anda Ugarte: Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, C Tabladilla S/N 41013 Seville, Spain
Maria Natividad Pérez-Camacho: Tragsatec Andalucía, C Parsi 5, 8, 41016 Seville, Spain
María del Sol Cuenca Martín: Tragsatec Andalucía, C Parsi 5, 8, 41016 Seville, Spain
Antonio José Giráldez Morales: Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, C Tabladilla S/N 41013 Seville, Spain
James Gaffey: Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Institute of Technology Tralee, Dromtacker, Tralee, Co. Kerry V92 HD4V, Ireland
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: María Natividad Pérez Camacho

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: The bioeconomy can play a critical role in helping countries to find alternative sustainable sources of products and energy. Countries with diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems will see diverging feedstock opportunities to develop these new value chains. Understanding the sources, composition, and regional availability of these biomass feedstocks is an essential first step in developing new sustainable bio-based value chains. In this paper, an assessment and analysis of regional biomass availability was conducted in the diverse regions of Andalusia and Ireland using a bioresource mapping model. The model provides regional stakeholders with a first glance at the regional opportunities with regards to feedstock availability and an estimate of the transportation costs associated with moving the feedstock to a different modelled location/region for the envisioned biorefinery plant. The analysis found that there were more than 30 million tonnes of (wet weight) biomass arisings from Ireland (84,000 km 2 ) with only around 4.8 million tonnes from the Andalusian region (87,000 km 2 ). The study found that Cork in Ireland stood out as the main contributor of biomass feedstock in the Irish region, with animal manures making the largest contribution. Meanwhile, the areas of Almería, Jaén, and Córdoba were the main contributors of biomass in the Andalusia region, with olive residues identified as the most abundant biomass resource. This analysis also found that, while considerable feedstock divergence existed within the regions, the mapping model could act as an effective tool for collecting and interpreting the regional data on a transnational basis.

Keywords: biomass; mapping; bioresources; circular economy; bioeconomy; waste; modelling; bio-based; biorefinery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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