Solving a multi-objective, source & stage location-allocation problem: a case study of a bagasse and cassava pulp ethanol plant in northeastern Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this research is to select the existing potential ethanol plants for developing to use raw material such as bagasse from sugar industries and cassava pulp from cassava flour industries scoped in northeastern Thailand under three objectives including economic, environmental and social risk objective. The transportation model is a multi-stage problem. Firstly, bagasse and cassava pulp is delivered from sugar mill and cassava flour plant to the ethanol plant. Secondly, ethanol is transported to a blending centre to make gasohol (E10, E20, E85) for vehicles. The computational results show that the existing potential ethanol plants are KI Ethanol Company Limited (Nakhon Ratchasima) for receiving cassava pulp and Petro Green Company Limited (Kalasin) for receiving bagasse and cassava pulp.