Page 144 - Biorefinery 2030 Future Prospects for the Bioeconomy (2015)

112 Annexes

2. General Outline of the Study In addition to a datasheet presenting the
biorefinery under study, such a case study might include the following sections:
(a) a description of the historical context and the stages of its construction, (b) a
presentation and discussion of its business model, (c) an analysis of its industrial
symbiosis, (d) a discussion of the biorefinery’s future prospects.

2.1 Key datasheet

The datasheet should identify the type of biorefinery concerned in terms of
location, products processed, process, inputs, products and scale of production
(volumes of inputs processed, volumes of finished products), and possibly factors
associated with production (water, energy...) and the ownership structure.
Is the biorefinery based on sugar, on oilseed plants or on lignocellulose?
Is it a single product biorefinery (biofuels) or a multi-input, multiple product
biorefinery?
A table summarising this information would be useful to give a rapid overview
of the biorefinery under study.

2.2 Historical context

This section needs to answer the questions what, when and who, in order to
understand how the biorefinery was designed, decided on, installed and funded.
What were the stages in its construction?
For example, is the biorefinery the result of a “master plan” for one or more
biorefineries (POET, USA)?
Is the biorefinery the result of an incremental process over time (Bazancourt-
Pomacle, France)?
Is the biorefinery the result of the conversion of a petro-chemical refinery (Porto
Rosso, Italie)?
Is the biorefinery part of an existing refinery (Bio Amber, Sarnia, Ontario),
Whatever the type, over what timescale was the biorefinery built, and what were
the stages of construction (from design until operationalization).
What factors led to its construction?
Opportunities arising from a long term trend (dwindling fossil resources, the
appearance of shortages, consumer demand for a return to “naturalness”...)?
Opportunities arising from public policies creating demand (mandate, tax credit,
feed in tariff...)?
Opportunities arising from state/federal support policies (subsidies, preferential
loans, guarantees)?
On-site transformation is more cost effective due to transport costs, currency
risks, the volatility of agricultural markets, carbon taxes?
The desire to diversify a business portfolio?
What role has the human factor played?
Did the decision to invest in this refinery result from a decision made by an
individual leader (CEO, head of a family...)?