Design a Sustainable Supply Chain of Microalgae Biofuels with the Approach of Evaluating New Technologies Using Goal Programming

Abstract

Biofuels are produced from biomass-based resources. The environmental pollution caused by fossil fuels consumption and the limited supply of these fuels have attracted more attention to the energy obtained from biofuels. Over recent years, biofuels production from microalgae has taken lots of attention due to the wide application of microalgae and their cost-effectiveness. Using the appropriate technologies in the process of biofuel production improves and increases efficiency. The studies conducted in this research aim to develop a sustainable model for the production of microalgae biofuel using novel technologies and goal programming. In this research, in order to find the optimal method and reduce uncertainty, first, a stable ideal mathematical model was designed using different technologies, based on four objectives. Maximizing profit, minimizing environmental pollution and pollutants, maximizing the service level of the supplier and minimizing the path length from supplier to market were stated as the first to fourth objectives. The OPA (ordinary priority approach) method was used to weigh the technology criteria and determine the four coefficients of the mathematical model. We solved the model of the research problem with two methods, METRIC-LP and bat algorithm. The two methods were compared, and the results indicated that they differed a little, and sample 9 with a large size had the highest optimal value.