Bridging Technology and Society

Abstract

Biobased value chains (BBVCs) are increasingly seen as a promising pathway for fossil-free transition. For hard-to-abate sectors, such as maritime industry, drop-in biofuels are considered as short- to mid- term solution for achieving the climate targets by 2030 and 2050. However, after decades of research and development, biobased value chains still faces numerous challenges for real-world implementation. These challenges are diverse and complex in nature such as technical, economic, environmental, and social. These barriers are to be addressed, to enable large-scale commercial deployment of bio-based value chains which is needed for bulk sectors such as maritime biofuels. This dissertation approaches the problem in a holistic manner and aims to develop context-specific, inclusive, and sustainable design of bio-based value chains for marine biofuels through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology. A transdisciplinary approach (including process simulation, participatory methods for stakeholder engagements, and integral sustainability analysis) is implemented to integrate the technical and non-technical aspects of the value chain in the early stages of conceptual design. The investigation focuses on the underutilized or mismanaged lignocellulosic residues from the olive sector in Spain, Coffee sector in Colombia, and the encroacher bush sector in Namibia with a special consideration on local socio-economic development at or near the region of biomass production. As a result, various biohub models were co-designed using multi-actor approach tailored to local context of BBVC implementation. The techno-economic assessments indicated that the economic performance of the HTL biofuels are expensive than their fossil counter parts, however with a potential to compete when existing infrastructures are utilized. In terms of environmental performance, the HTL biofuels were able to reduce emissions, specifically carbon-di-oxide, by at least 89% adhering to the policy regulations. This dissertation concludes that early stage integration of (technical and non-technical) contextual knowledge in the conceptual design has the ability to identify, address, and overcome the existing challenges for implementing bio-based value chains in more responsible manner thereby leading to a global, sustainable, and inclusive fossil-free future.