Avaliação dos impactos sociais de biorrefinarias de pequeno e médio porte no Território Litoral Sul da Bahia considerando a seleção de tecnologias para bioativos: um modelo MCDA

Abstract

Assessing the social impact of small and medium-sized biorefinery projects is essential to understanding the relationship between society and these bioindustries. However, one of the main challenges is the application of methods that allow considering quantitative aspects such as cost minimization and qualitative aspects related to social, technological, psychological, cultural factors, among others, that condition the behavior of individuals who live in communities and, will be impacted by intervention projects. In the light of the aforementioned discussion, this study aims to evaluate the social impacts of small and medium-sized biorefineries, based on the selection of technologies for bioactives through a Multicriteria Decision Making Analysis Support Model - MCDA (Multicriteria Decision Making Analysis), with a view to to the human development of the Território Litoral Sul da Bahia - TLS. In this sense, this work contributes to the theme by pointing out evidence on different technological routes that preserve or conserve the Atlantic Forest and, at the same time, establish positive relationships with society. From this premise, the following contributions were presented (i) to evaluate methods and metrics that quantify the social impact of biorefineries; (ii) develop a socioeconomic analysis of TLS cooperatives and family associations; (iii) carries out technological mapping of small family producers in the TLS; (iv) quantify the potential of bioproducts extracted from the Atlantic Forest and the applications of small and medium-sized biorefineries; v) to develop a MCDA model for evaluating the social impact of small and medium-sized biorefineries, considering the different bioactive technologies. The results indicate the existence of a lack of research aimed at investigating the social aspects of small and medium-sized biorefineries. There is a need to analyze the different technological routes for the production of multi-products, as well as pointing out the Hydrodynamic Cavitation and Heterogeneous Catalysis technologies as those that can positively impact social issues in territories and consequently generate new business opportunities and healthy living. It is concluded that the absence of an up-to-date and efficient national policy for the development of technologies, oriented towards the use of biomass, aimed at promoting positive social impacts, has caused the impoverishment of communities as well as a proliferation of work analogous to slavery in the different regions of the country. Therefore, the proposed model can be used by decision makers to simplify the process of evaluating technologies to be used for bioconversion of raw materials into several high value-added products in small and medium-sized biorefineries, as well as being useful to support the implementation of strategies that favor the technological and human development of communities.