Biorefinery Complexity

Therefore, lEA Bioenergy Task 42 has published a working document to present the current status of an approach to develop a Biorefinery Complexity Index (BCI) and to calculate the BCI for some selected biorefinery concepts.The approach was developed since 2010 and started with the analogy to the Nelson s complexity index used for oil refineries. The Nelson s (complexity) index was developed by Wilbur L. Nelson and published in the Oil and Gas Journal (1960-61) to quantify the costs of the refinery s components. The Nelson s index is an indicator for the investment intensity, the cost index of the refinery, the value addition potential of a refinery, the refinery s ability to process feedstocks, such as high-sulfur crude, into value-added products. The higher the complexity of the refinery the more flexible it is. 

For each of the four features (platforms, feedstocks, products, and processes) of a biorefinery the TRL can be assessed using level description between 1 ( basic research ) to 9 ( system proven and ready for full commercial deployment ). Based on the TRL the feature complexity (FC) for each single feature of a biorefinery is calculated. With the number of features and the FC of each single feature the Feature Complexity Index (FCI) for each of the four features (platforms, feedstocks, products and processes) is calculated. The BCI is the sum of the four FCIs.To simplify the presentation the Biorefinery Complexity Profile (BCP) is introduced.The BCP is a compact format to present the complexity of a biorefinery by giving the BCI and the four FCIs of each feature. The BCP, which includes the BCI and the four FCIs has the following format BCP ... 

Figure 1.8 A 3-platform (CS and C6 sugars, electricity and heat, lignin) biorefinery using wood chips for bioethanol, electricity, heat, and phenols with a Biorefinery Complexity Profile of 29(8/1/4/16).

The first results and conclusions of a critical review by the country representatives in lEA Bioenergy Task 42 show that the Biorefinery Complexity Index adds additional relevant information on the assessment and comparison of different biorefinery systems. It was concluded that the results are potentially relevant for industry, decision-makers as well as investors as additional information is generated to assist them in their strategies to implement the most promising biorefinery systems by minimizing technical and economic risks. 

Tamutech Consultancy (2007) Mapping the Development of UK Biorefinery Complexes. NNFCC Available via http //www.nnfcc.co.uk. Cited 14 Sep 2007... 

Figure 1.7 A 1-platform (oil) biorefinery using oilseed crops for biodiesel, glycerin, and feed with a Biorefinery Complexity Profile of 8 (1/1/3/3).

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