Water and emissions nexus for biodiesel in Iran

Biodiesel is an attractive renewable energy in Iran. However, the concerns for food security, emissions, and water requirement move us towards developing the analytical framework to study emission-water nexus of biodiesel via the multi objective sustainable planning of biodiesel supply chain. Here, the literature of biodiesel in Iran is comprehensively reviewed and main issues are discussed. Then, a supply chain planning model is applied to depict the optimal path ways to minimize costs, net emission, and water use in Iran during 25 years. The microalgae via open ponds and jatropha cultivation reduce the total costs and improve negative emissions. The jatropha optimizes the water use and increases negative emissions. The results indicate that the integrated management of water must be carefully considered to select optimal pathway of the environmental friendly biofuel strategies. This paper provides the optimal frame work for the policy makers to consider different aspects for the future of the biodiesel supply chain of the country.