Biomass to Biofuels: Strategies for Global Industries

Biofuels are rapidly emerging as a popular solution to address global warming, rising energy costs and fuel supply shortages. However the environmental, economic and energetic benefits of biofuels still remain challenged. Amidst the global debate, Biomass to Biofuels: Strategies for Global Industries addresses these challenges through a discussion of the latest scientific advances in biofuel manufacturing. Combining scientific and business perspectives, the book provides a comprehensive overview of biofuel production technologies, highlighting both manufacturing and financial concerns in order to define an appropriate R&D strategy.

The text is divided into five parts:

•Structure of the Bioenergy Business: Reviews the fundamental drivers of the biofuels market

•Diesel from Biomass: Includes chapters on liquefaction and gasification of solid biomass, Fisher-Tropsch and biofuels from microalgae

•Ethanol & Butanol: Evaluates fermentation and downstream processing technologies vs. current industrial practice

•Hydrogen, Methane & Methanol: Describes generation of hydrogen by microbial cultures and industrial scale production of methane and methanol

•Perspectives: Considers genetic engineering of biomass-producing crops and financing strategies for large scale biofuel production

This is a valuable handbook for scientists and policy makers working in the biofuels industry, as well as those working in the related fields of petrochemicals and agriculture. It is also an important resource for students and academic researchers working on renewable energy solutions and bioprocessing technology.