Third-generation biofuel supply chain: A comprehensive review and future research directions

In recent years, microalgae have received a lot of attention as an alternative feedstock for biofuel production due to numerous advantages such as fast growth rate, high lipid and carbohydrate content, and lack of competition with food production. However, one of the main barriers preventing the commercialization of biofuel production from microalgae is related to the supply chain management issues, and research efforts in the industry and academic communities have been put into this area to deliver solutions. This paper provides a comprehensive and systematic review of studies in the context of the microalgae-to-biofuel supply chain to investigate problems that must be addressed to develop a reliable supply chain for real-world applications. Firstly, an introduction of biofuel production from microalgae and the general structure of the microalgae-based biofuel supply chain are presented. Secondly, decision-making levels in the microalgae biofuel supply chain along with associated supply chain decisions are discussed. Thirdly, the different sources of uncertainty that affect the performance of the supply chain as well as optimization approaches for dealing with uncertainty are reviewed. Finally, conclusions and directions for further research are outlined. •This study investigates the state of the art of researches on microalgae-based biofuel supply chain modeling.•An all-inclusive framework for designing microalgae biomass to biofuel supply chain is proposed.•Geographic information system and mathematical modeling integration helps to find the optimal location for algae cultivation.•Most papers addressed the strategic and tactical decision-making level, at the operational level, they are relatively limited.•Uncertainty sources in the algal biofuel supply chain and practical approaches to deal with each source are elaborated.