An approach for incorporating sustainability in early stages of biorefinery design

Abstract

Sustainable development has become a sought value in our society. However, the meaning of sustainability and how it should be operationalized is a complex issue that depends on subjective values and perspectives [1]. In order to advance towards sustainable biorefineries, we propose an approach for considering stakeholder’s values and perspectives for setting the design space of biorefinery projects. A biofuel production case in Southeastern Brazil is used to develop the approach based on elicited norms and values of stakeholders. From these values, design propositions that consider the interaction between biorefinery systems and the elicited values are used to suggest a design space boundary. These propositions are indicative, allowing for deliberation during their implementation. Thus, with this approach the design team can address the interaction between biorefinery systems and the socioeconomic and environmental context around them. Also, by opening the design process to stakeholders’ values, we propose a constructivist approach to incorporate sustainability in the early stages of biorefinery design.