Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System

Transitioning to a circular economy is crucial for sustainable energy development; yet, current energy supply chains lack comprehensive assessment tools. This study introduces the Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System (HMI_DSS), an innovative tool grounded in life cycle thinking and advan...

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Main Authors: Thanh Quang Nguyen, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura, Le Quyen Luu, Alessandra Bertoli, Letizia Bua
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/20/5179
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author Thanh Quang Nguyen
Sonia Longo
Maurizio Cellura
Le Quyen Luu
Alessandra Bertoli
Letizia Bua
author_facet Thanh Quang Nguyen
Sonia Longo
Maurizio Cellura
Le Quyen Luu
Alessandra Bertoli
Letizia Bua
author_sort Thanh Quang Nguyen
collection DOAJ
description Transitioning to a circular economy is crucial for sustainable energy development; yet, current energy supply chains lack comprehensive assessment tools. This study introduces the Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System (HMI_DSS), an innovative tool grounded in life cycle thinking and advanced multi-criteria decision-making methodologies, including Entropy and PROMETHEE II. The HMI_DSS quantifies and assesses sustainability and circularity in energy systems by employing 49 indicators, with a focus on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. A case study on the rice straw energy supply chain for biogas production illustrates the tool’s effectiveness, comparing a baseline scenario to an alternative. The results show that the global warming potential (GWP) of the baseline is 122 gCO<sub>2</sub>eq/kWh, while the alternative is 116 gCO<sub>2</sub>eq/kWh. However, the baseline scenario has lower energy consumption (1.72 × 10<sup>7</sup> MJ annually) than the alternative (1.98 × 10<sup>7</sup> MJ). Overall, the alternative outperforms the baseline in terms of sustainability and circularity. The HMI_DSS offers a flexible and robust framework for evaluating trade-offs in energy systems, providing valuable insights for energy companies and researchers in adopting circular economy principles to achieve sustainable development.
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spelling doaj-art-ec6ac3e508924546b7cc040b8947e76f2025-08-20T02:11:12ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732024-10-011720517910.3390/en17205179Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support SystemThanh Quang Nguyen0Sonia Longo1Maurizio Cellura2Le Quyen Luu3Alessandra Bertoli4Letizia Bua5Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 9, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 9, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 9, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 9, 90128 Palermo, ItalyENI SpA, R&D, Via G. Fauser 4, 28100 Novara, ItalyENI SpA, R&D, Via G. Fauser 4, 28100 Novara, ItalyTransitioning to a circular economy is crucial for sustainable energy development; yet, current energy supply chains lack comprehensive assessment tools. This study introduces the Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System (HMI_DSS), an innovative tool grounded in life cycle thinking and advanced multi-criteria decision-making methodologies, including Entropy and PROMETHEE II. The HMI_DSS quantifies and assesses sustainability and circularity in energy systems by employing 49 indicators, with a focus on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. A case study on the rice straw energy supply chain for biogas production illustrates the tool’s effectiveness, comparing a baseline scenario to an alternative. The results show that the global warming potential (GWP) of the baseline is 122 gCO<sub>2</sub>eq/kWh, while the alternative is 116 gCO<sub>2</sub>eq/kWh. However, the baseline scenario has lower energy consumption (1.72 × 10<sup>7</sup> MJ annually) than the alternative (1.98 × 10<sup>7</sup> MJ). Overall, the alternative outperforms the baseline in terms of sustainability and circularity. The HMI_DSS offers a flexible and robust framework for evaluating trade-offs in energy systems, providing valuable insights for energy companies and researchers in adopting circular economy principles to achieve sustainable development.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/20/5179decision support systemsustainabilitycircular economycircularitylife cycle thinkingmulti-criteria decision-making
spellingShingle Thanh Quang Nguyen
Sonia Longo
Maurizio Cellura
Le Quyen Luu
Alessandra Bertoli
Letizia Bua
Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System
Energies
decision support system
sustainability
circular economy
circularity
life cycle thinking
multi-criteria decision-making
title Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System
title_full Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System
title_fullStr Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System
title_short Evaluating and Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Alternatives in the Energy Context with a Holistic Multi-Indicator Decision Support System
title_sort evaluating and prioritizing circular supply chain alternatives in the energy context with a holistic multi indicator decision support system
topic decision support system
sustainability
circular economy
circularity
life cycle thinking
multi-criteria decision-making
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/20/5179
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