Academic Press Decision-Making for Biomass-Based Production Chains: The Basic Concepts and Methodologies

Decision-Making for Biomass-Based Production Chains: The Basic Concepts and Medothologies presents a comprehensive study of key-issues surrounding the integration of strategic, tactical and operational decision levels for supply chains in the biomass, biofuels and biorefining sectors. Comprehensive sections cover biomass resources, harvesting, collection, storage and distribution systems, along with the necessary technical and technological background of production systems. In addition, the basics of decision-making, problems and decision levels encountered in design, management and operation phases are covered. Case studies are supplied in each chapter, along with a discussion and comparative analysis of topics. The book presents a clear vision of advances in the field. Graduate students and those starting in this line of research will also find the necessary information on how to model this kind of complex system. Finally, this comprehensive resource can be used as a guide for non-expert industry decision-makers and government policymakers who need a thorough overview on the industry. Examines analytic methodologies for complex decision-making when designing, deploying and managing biomass and bio-based products supply chains Includes real-life examples of main sustainability indicators, standards and certification schemes from the European Union, United States and worldwide Explores the progress of decision-making procedures to provide a detailed perspective for effective selection of the most reliable solutions for each kind of problem Provides detailed, in-depth analyses of various models and frameworks for their implementation, challenges and solutions Presents multi-criteria and multi-objective decision-making and modeling approaches, including mathematical modeling, simulation-based modeling, and artificial intelligence-based modeling Review Presents analytic methodologies for complex decision-making when designing, deploying and managing biomass, biofuels and other bio-based products supply chains About the Author Dr. Şebnem Yılmaz Balaman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Dokuz Eylül University. Specializing in the application of operations research techniques to support decision-making within the biomass and bioenergy sectors, she completed her PhD at Dokuz Eylül University, on developing optimization methodologies for effective design and management of biomass to energy supply chains. She was also a post-doctoral research fellow with the Project and Supply Chain Management Research Group of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston University, United Kingdom. Her research interests include sustainable supply chain design and management, logistics operations planning, biomass-based supply chains and production systems, bioenergy, mathematical modelling, multi-criteria decision making, fuzzy decision making, and risk management. Her work has appeared in energy and sustainable production outlets. She also acts as a reviewer in international journals in the above fields.