Page 58 - Biorefinery 2030 Future Prospects for the Bioeconomy (2015)

26 2 An Original Business Model: The Integrated Biorefinery

integrated biorefinery is to a large degree the result of the strategies
implemented to tackle problems linked to competition, regulation, finance
and organisation. The decision to diversify, to integrate upstream and down-
stream activities in the value chain, to use increasingly complex financial
arrangements, to build an industrial demonstrator and to increase economies
of scale through new partnerships, are all response strategies to stabilise and
develop activities.
One section of this chapter studies whether the Bazancourt-Pomacle Biorefinery
has enough assets to continue to develop. To do this we make an analysis of its
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and illustrate our analysis with
two applications: that of the threat that certain players may leave the site and the
strength of the circular economy facilitated by the biorefinery.

Abstract The innovation strategy developed by the firms present on the
Bazancourt-Pomacle site is based on the concept of the territorially integrated
biorefinery, in the sense that the synergy between local biodiversity and the
optimised use of resources is the basis of research and innovation strategy. This
concept is also applied when these firms develop new markets and new products.
Whilst the definition of a refinery may appear obvious to all, the definition of a
biorefinery seems more abstract. What is a biorefinery? In what way is it economi-
cally relevant? What are the differences between first and second-generation
biorefineries? Our first section will attempt to answer these questions.

1 The Concept of Biorefinery

The field of study of the biorefinery is still recent, and this is reflected in its
terminology. The biorefinery has no single accepted definition, but rather a series
of definitions that enable us to apprehend the subject as well as possible.

1.1 Definitions, Technical Status and Typology

Box 2.1 Examples of Definitions of the Biorefinery
As part of its scientific programme to support the policies of 2008, BIOPOL 1
2
reviews some of the existing definitions of the biorefinery :

(continued)
1
Assessment of BIOrefinery concepts and the implications for agricultural and forestry POlicy.
2
BIOPOL (2008).