Residual Agroforestry Biomass Supply Chain Characterization: A Mapping Approach

• Autor(a) principal: Brás, Patrícia Cardoso
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/160161
• topic: agroforestry residues; supply chain; mapping; efficiency; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Outras Engenharias e Tecnologias

Climate change is a critical global problem that has increased the risk of forest fires. The main factors contributing to this risk are global warming, low soil moisture, and the presence of fuel load - woody materials. This problem has attracted increased attention to the residual woody biomass from forests and agriculture since these residues are mainly disposed by setting them ablaze, which increases the risk of forest fires. The valorization of residual agroforestry biomass may represent a solution to reduce the risk mentioned above since it would be possible to reduce the woody fuel. However, this approach is still under research as the low market value of these residues and the high cost of valorization operations, can lead to low efficiency and profitability of the valorization process. The present dissertation aims to map the supply chains inherent to the valorization of residual biomass from forests and agriculture. The main research objectives are to identify valorization options for residual agroforestry biomass and to characterize the material, information and financial flows of the supply chains that support that valorization. Thus, two case studies regarding the residual forestry biomass valorization were conducted to comprehend the supply chain's implications in a real context. Case study 1 comprises companies located in Figueira da Foz, in the Coimbra district, and its supply chain is solely for energy production from forestry residues. Case Study 2 comprises entities in all municipals of Portugal, and the main valorization of forest residues is renewable energy. Both case studies were mapped to illustrate the entities involved, the supply chain operations, and the information, material and financial flows. Since there are two case studies, a cross-case analysis was carried out. The obtained results demonstrated the potential of forestry residues mainly for energy valorization and the main challenges of the residual biomass supply chain.