Securing the feedstock procurement for bioenergy products: a literature review on the biomass transportation and logistics

The study findings included the great variability of values used in the literature, both related to the fixed and variable costs of transportation and to the optimal shipping distance based on logistics conditions. From transportation mode and plant capacity perspective, we found that studies have concentrated on improving system efficiency of truck transportation for smaller plants while large plants have received less attention. The research gaps included the seemingly poor fit of typical logistics and supply chain frameworks with biomass systems. There is also a lack of sustainable transportation cost model to account for economic, environmental, and social factors. Finally, there is a need to explore the effects of feedstock conversion and upgrading options to biomass transportation logistics (BTL) and to combine the BTL studies with long-term biomass sourcing strategies to mitigate supply variations.