Bioeconomy networks under industrial symbiosis approach: the case of corn-based bioethanol

GONZALEZ, SOFIA DE LOS DOLORES; AMATO, CELINA NOÉ; BURASCHI, MÓNICA

Buenos Aires

Conferencia; 27th ICABR Conference; 2023

International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research

The bioeconomy has great potential in Argentina, a country that has a large volume and diversity of available biomass (FAO, 2020; Lanchman et al., 2020). However, this biomass is not fully used; some scholars claim that the development of value networks might help in this sense (Bijon et al., 2022; IICA, 2020, 2021).This position is aligned with the network perspective proposed by Industrial Symbiosis (IS), a concept that has its origin in Industrial Ecology and is considered a circular economy business model, characterized by the exchange of by-products, water or energy between two or more companies, that interact in a collaborative and dynamic process, adding significant value to the network (Baldasarre et al., 2019; Boons et al., 2014.; Bocken et al., 2014, Chertow, 2000, 2007; Short et al., 2014). From a bioeconomy perspective, the IS approach can shed light on the linkages between waste producers and those who may use it as input in their productive processes.Building on this concept, we analyze the case of corn-based bioethanol and its many by-products to describe the ways in which symbiosis networks contribute to bioeconomy transformations. In Argentina, the production of this type of biofuel is led by the province of Córdoba, which concentrates almost 80% of the country´s total. Thus, the objective of the research is to explore the current and potential industrial symbiosis networks that originate in the corn bioethanol sector in the province of Córdoba-Argentina and how they allow obtaining the maximum value of the corn grain.We found that three bioethanol companies, Promaíz SA, Bio 4 and ACABIO, are involved in different symbiosis networks. From the valorization of bioethanol by-products (Dried Distillers´ Grains with Solubles -DDGS-, Wet Distillers´ Grains with Solubles -WDGS-, vinasse, CO2 and corn oil) commercial links are generated with other industries. The DDGS and WDGS are sold as feed for dairy farms and feedlots, the vinasse and corn oil is used for bioenergy and the CO2 for the beverage industry, fire-extinguishers production or mining companies. In turn, these industries also sell their by-products, extending the symbiosis network. For example, farms sell animal slurry to biodigesting plants, which sell the biodigestate to vegetable farms. In addition, some organizations share water and energy resources, developing a complex network of industrial symbiosis in which most exchanges contribute to bioeconomy transformations.