Advanced Regional Biomass Processing Depots: a key to the logistical challenges of the cellulosic biofuel industry

Interest in commercially viable cellulosic biofuel production has greatly increased due to concerns regarding the sustainability of petroleum fuels. While research into solving the technical issues surrounding cellulosic biofuels is ongoing, much less attention has been paid to solving supply chain challenges such as low bulk density of cellulosic biomass, compositional variability and seasonality of the feedstock, food vs fuel issues, and local environmental concerns. To address these supply chain problems, we explore the concept of Regional Biomass Processing Depots (RBPDs), strategically distributed facilities that procure, pre-process/pre-treat and densify biomass into stable intermediate products that are compatible with existing bulk commodity logistical systems. In this perspective, we discuss the fundamental concept of RBPDs, their functionality, advantages, and potential challenges. We then extend the analysis of depots to include enhanced configurations and discuss some technologies that might be deployed in RBPD networks and the valuable coproducts that might be produced via synergies among these technologies. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd