Industrial Symbiosis for the development of Biofuel Production

Abstract: In recent years the popularity of biofuels has been transformed from a sustainable option fortransportation to a questionable and criticized method. Many reports have therefore beenproduced to view biofuel production from a life cycle perspective; though results may bemisleading. In a number of the reports, biofuel production is viewed in a linear manner, i.e.crops and energy in and biofuel out. However there is a large quantity of material and energyflows associated with biofuel production and these must be accounted for.Industrial symbiosis concepts have therefore been applied in this thesis to the biofuel industryto identify possibilities to improve the material and energy flows. This has been done bymapping the exchanges and thereafter identifying possible synergies between biofuel firmsand with external industries. Examples from regional biofuel synergies and exchanges withindustrial partners have been highlighted. Many of the concepts have led to the identificationof methods for increased integration and improvements, including the use of a renewableenergy provider and the cooperation with external industries. Biofuels have therefore beenfound to profit from wastes, and instead of competition, benefit from one another, contrary tobelief. This leads to an expanded market of raw materials for biofuel production.Benefits do not only occur for the biofuel industry; from the application of biofuels, industrialsymbiosis may gain further benefits. Several new concepts have been produced in this thesisto account for the unique material handling possibilities that biofuel production firmsencompass. These include using biofuels as upcyclers of materials and the use of renewableenergy as a way to improve environmental performance. Furthermore, a classification methodhas been produced to add more detail about individual exchanges for the industrial symbiosisliterature in addition to viewing industrial symbiosis from an expanded system view toinclude exchanges beyond geographic proximity typical to the field.