Biorefineries for Sustainable Food-Fuel-Fibre Production: Towards a Circular Economy

¹ The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Prachauthit, Bangmod, Tungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
² Center of Excellence on Energy Technology and Environment, PERDO, Bangkok, Thailand

^* Corresponding author: shabbir_g@jgsee.kmutt.ac.th

Abstract

Agriculture and related industries form the backbone of many Asian economies. Not only do they provide food, but they are increasingly proving to be a reliable local source of energy and materials. Biofuels from palm oil and sugarcane are prominent examples where the palm and sugar mills serve as biorefineries – providing food, fuels as well as materials. Nevertheless, there are also associated environmental impacts which need to be considered along with economic considerations. A life cycle approach is useful for both environmental as well as economic assessment. In particular eco-efficiency, a tool combining both environmental and economic aspects is very useful to analyze biorefinery configurations and look at the trade-offs between the environmental and economic aspects. The increase of value-added products from the biorefineries may lead to increased economic benefits but also increased environmental emissions. Indicators such as eco-efficiency show the relative advantages of the enhanced biorefinery system as compared to conventional food or biofuel production systems. Thus, they provide important information to decision-makers both for industry and policy.