Upstream, midstream, downstream. Terms of art in oil and gas refining — less common in bioenergy. They correspond to feedstocks, processing, and the distribution systems and engine technologies.
In bioenergy, most attention is showered on the feedstocks and the processing technologies. The downstream is overlooked — yet it is in the pipeline and in the engine that the “fuel meets the fire”. Let’s take a look at some downstream challenges and the innovative downstream technologies.