The Biorefinery Simulation and TEA Modules#
BioSTEAM is an open-source platform that streamlines the design, simulation, techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) of biorefineries across thousands of scenarios. BioSTEAM is also leveraged by QSDsan, a library for the quantitative sustainable design of sanitation and resource recovery systems. The long-term growth and maintenance of BioSTEAM is supported through both community-led development and the research institutions invested in BioSTEAM, including the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation.
Installation#
If you have an installation of Python with pip, simple install it with:
$ pip install biosteam
To get the git version, run:
$ git clone --depth 10 git://github.com/BioSTEAMDevelopmentGroup/biosteam
Common Issues#
Cannot install/update BioSTEAM:
If you are having trouble installing or updating BioSTEAM, it may be due to dependency issues. You can bypass these using:
$ pip install --user --ignore-installed biosteam
You can make sure you install the right version by including the version number:
$ pip install biosteam==<version>
Unit and system diagrams are not displaying:
BioSTEAM uses Graphviz to make flowsheet diagrams. To properly install Graphviz in an anaconda distribution, please run the following line:
$ conda install graphviz
Additionally, please follow the following instructions for installing graphviz on windows.
Scientific Papers#
Several studies have leveraged the BioSTEAM platform to compare conversion technologies, chart development pathways for various bioproducts, and build new tools for sustainability assessments. Here is a short list of related publications:
Software tools:
Social, economic, and policy studies:
Bioproduct and biofuel studies:
Plastics and recycling: