A multi-criteria analysis of the potential for renewable energy development from lignocellulosic biomass in the Drâa-Tafilalet region

Agriculture in Morocco, particularly in rural areas, plays a pertinent role in socio-economic development and the fight against poverty. However, this development can only be achieved through energy autonomy. In this respect, it is suggested that bioenergy should be the energy source which has the most direct interaction with rural areas. This study focused on assessing the energy potential of the south-east region of Morocco through a techno-economic and energy study. Two scenarios were developed using Aspen plus V09 to produce bioethanol from date palm and olive industry waste, as they are representative crops of the oasis ecosystem. The detailed process includes pre-treatment by steam explosion (160 °C and 8.6 bar), enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation and distillation. The economic analyses, carried out by the Aspen plus economic analyzer, were based on a hypothetical plant availability of 7884 h/year, i.e. 90 %. The performance results show that ethanol yield is directly influenced by the percentage of solids in the fermentation reactor. For raw material quantities of 15 tons per hour, ethanol yields reach 38580.27 tons per year. This gives a competitive minimum ethanol selling price of 1.59 USD/L. In terms of energy efficiency, the reduction in solids content leads to an increase, reaching 78.3 % with an energy destruction of 2.98 × 10 4 MJ/h. The results discussed show that the distillation unit is the most energy-intensive, representing an energy destruction of 56.91 %. The reason for this is that the optimum conditions for bioconversion of date palm and olive tree waste found by Aspen plus were 30 % under temperature and pressure conditions of 160 °C and 8.62 bar respectively. As a result, the use of local organic waste can provide an effective and reliable solution to the energy and environmental problems afflicting the region.