Regionally-specific evaluation of the economic and environmental impacts of feedstock extraction, processing and logistics, profitability, tradeoffs analysis
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Description
The System Analysis team is a team of researchers with decades of expertise in economic and environmental sustainability of products, processes and resources. In addition to sustainability analysis of conversion processes, main areas of expertise include economic and sustainability assessment of resource extraction and supply chain logistics. Incorporating resource assessment, preprocessing (e.g., size reduction, milling, drying) and supply chain logistics are core aspects of sustainable system design. Resource assessment includes the analysis of biogenic contributions including carbon emissions and carbon storage benefits for bio-based materials. The team has recently expanded its capability to include community impact assessment to estimate business opportunities and increased economic prosperity for local and disadvantaged communities. The analysis is based on the Input/Output (I/O) model developed using the inter-industrial transaction and social accounting matrices provided by IMPLAN. Capabilities also include Waste-SMART: Profitability, Scalability, Siting, Sustainability and Tradeoffs for Waste-to-Energy Supply Chains.
Capability Bounds
Main areas of expertise includes renewable resource assessment (e.g., residual woody biomass, agricultural waste, algae) and other waste streams (e.g., mill waste, wet waste, municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris). W-Smart suitable to any feedstock/technology with spatially explicit data.
Unique Aspects
Availability of resources to conduct resource assessment, supply chain analysis, logistics and optimization (ArcGIS software, Julia), process design (AspenPlus), Life Cycle Assessment (Simapro, OpenLCA and LCI commercial databases including Ecoinvent), Community Impact Assessment (IMPLAN). W-Smart analysis tool. Subscription-based platforms that provide access to multiple databases for peer-reviewed publications, conference proceedings and scientific literature.
Availability
PNNL’s system analysis capabilities, resources, and facilities are available to both the public and private sectors through the development of collaborative work that utilizes a variety of contractual mechanisms.
Benefit
The benefits of collaborating with PNNL’s system analysis team include access to leading technology and resources for accurate and reliable sustainability assessment, and direct engagement with independent researchers and engineers. Integration of spatial, economic, technology analyses from multiple perspectives.
Capability Expert(s)
Tim Seiple, Francesca Pierobon, Dilara Goreke, Peter Valdez, Craig Bakker, Steven Phillips
References
The System Analysis team is located within the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL). https://www.pnnl.gov/bioproducts-sciences-and-engineering-laboratory
