Sustainability Index Assessment of a Millet Biorefinery: Environment-Social-Economic Aspects
摘要
The growing demand for sustainable alternatives for industries that depend upon fossil fuels has made biorefineries a feasible option for achieving a circular bioeconomy. A potential sustainable feedstock for biorefineries is millets, which are also known as nutritional cereals, are climate-resilient, nutrient-dense grains. This chapter discusses the advantages of millet, the challenges involved in implementing biorefinery technology, and the comprehensive incorporation of sustainability factors. The assessment employs the MIVES (Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment) approach, which integrates environmental aspects (resource efficiency and emission reduction), economic aspects (profitability and investment feasibility), and social aspects (employment, empowerment, and community well-being). Value functions and formulations are used to quantify criteria such as renewable energy use, greenhouse gas mitigation, profitability, and social well-being, providing a structured decision-making tool for process design, investment planning, and policy evaluation. In summary, this article discusses how millet-based biorefineries can improve rural livelihood, minimize environmental impacts, and encourage scalable models that are in line with global sustainability goals.