Frontier of digitalization in Biomass-to-X supply chain:opportunity or threats?

The escalating climate crisis necessitates an urgent shift towards a sustainable business model.Un-der the context of bioeconomy,it has offered a promising alternative through its“Biomass-to-X”strategy for converting biological resources into value-added products or chemicals.However,the adoption of this approach remains scarce,which highlights the need to leverage digital technolo-gies to enhance its feasibility.Thus,this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the potential role of digital technologies in the Biomass-to-X supply chain,encompassing the entire value chain from upstream to downstream activities,specifically in the areas of 1)lab-to-fabrication transla-tion,2)biomanufacturing stage,and lastly,3)supply chain management stage.Furthermore,this study identifies and discusses research gaps in each niche area,along with potential future re-search prospects to facilitate the transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy,making it a crucial reference for stakeholders involved in decision-making processes.

Resource optimisation in aquaponics facility via process monitoring and graph-theoretical approach

Energy efficiency and economic viability are the often-quoted issues in aquaponic farming.This work aims to(i)identify process technologies and technical measures which would enhance the profitability of aquaponics business while conserving energy and other resources,and(ii)to validate the determined optimal measures on the testing aquaponics farm.The process network synthesis technique was used to search for an optimal process pathway while the image processing technique was applied to automatically monitor the growth rate of produce since it is the main revenue stream in aquaponics.With the aid of P-graph method,the optimal feasible structure has 9 times higher annual net income than that of the existing process.This optimal solution includes the integration of electrical heat pump,biogas system,and utilizes black solider fly(BSF)facility to produce fish feed.Additional light energy savings were achieved by practical installation of reflective foils which improved 16.88%of Photosynthetic photon flux density(PPFD)on growth beds.These measures can help the aquaponics farms to become more competitive and to decrease their ecological footprint.