Search

• A multi-criteria framework is proposed for bioethanol facility location. • The best worst method is used to calculate the weights of the criteria. • The provinces of Iran are evaluated as alternatives in this study. • A questionnaire answered by 41 experts from Iran is used for the BWM. • Province of Khuzestan (followed by Tehran) is selected for bioethanol production. One of the major factors in the success of renewable energy is finding a proper location for production facilities. At a national level, different parts of a country (e.g. provinces) can be seen as alternatives that can be assessed based on a set of criteria, and ranking them to identify the best location. The focus in this paper is on identifying the best location for the production of bioethanol. After a comprehensive literature review, an evaluation framework is proposed based on the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental and social). Using data provided by a sample of experts in a developing country – Iran – and applying the best-worst method (BWM), a number of decision-making criteria are evaluated. Performance data involving the various provinces of Iran are collected from different sources. The performance data and the weights identified through BWM are used to calculate an overall score for each province, which is then used to rank the provinces, with the province of Khuzestan (closely followed by Tehran) being identified as the most suitable province for bioethanol production in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper studies the energy balance between the input and the output per unit area for greenhouse cucumber production. For this purpose, the data on 43 cucumber production greenhouses in the Tehran province, Iran, were collected and analyzed. The results indicated that a total energy input of 148836.76MJha−1 was consumed for cucumber production. Diesel fuel (with 41.94%) and chemical fertilizers (with 19.69%) were amongst the highest energy inputs for cucumber production. The energy productivity was estimated as 0.80kgMJ−1. The ratio of energy output to energy input was approximately 0.64. Results indicate 10.93% and 89.07% of total energy input was in renewable and non-renewable forms, respectively. The regression results revealed that the contribution of energy inputs on crop yield (except for fertilizers and seeds energies) was significant. The human labour energy had the highest impact (0.35) among the other inputs in greenhouse cucumber production. Econometric analysis indicated that the total cost of production for one hectare of cucumber production was around 33425.70$. Accordingly, the benefit–cost ratio was estimated as 2.58. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]