Navigating The Energy Maze

This book presents essential information for the development of a comprehensive sustainable energy policy. It examines the diverse types of energy, their resource abundance and the material needs to develop and use them, and how communities and cities can better control their own destinies by locally managing energy use and generation. This approach does not suggest the undoing of existing infrastructures and energy providers, but rather a cooperative transition from national-regional energy management to a more local-centered system. The information is the foundation for eight specific legislative initiatives necessary for a national comprehensive sustainable policy that can both facilitate and drive the process of evolution from a carbon-energy economy to a sustainable renewable energy future.

Reviews the latest advances in biofuel manufacturing technologies and discusses the deployment of other renewable energy for transportation Aimed at providing an interface useful to business and scientific managers, this book focuses on the key challenges that still impede the realization of the billion-ton renewable fuels vision. It places great emphasis on a global view of the topic, reviewing deployment and green energy technology in different countries across Africa, Asia, South America, the EU, and the USA. It also integrates scientific, technological, and business development perspectives to highlight the key developments that are necessary for the global replacement of fossil fuels with green energy solutions. Green Energy to Sustainability: Strategies for Global Industries examines the most recent developments in biofuel manufacturing technologies in light of business, financial, value chain, and supply chain concerns. It also covers the use of other renewable energy sources like solar energy for transportation and proposes a view of the challenges over the next two to five decades, and how these will deeply modify the industrial world in the third millennium. The coming of age of electric vehicles is also looked at, as is the impact of their deployment on the biomass to biofuels value chain. Offers extensive updates on the field of green energy for global industries Covers the structure of the energy business; chemicals and diesel from biomass; ethanol and butanol; hydrogen and methane; and more Provides an expanded focus on the next generation of energy technologies Reviews the latest advances in biofuel manufacturing technologies Integrates scientific, technological and business perspectives Highlights important developments needed for replacing fossil fuels with green energy Green Energy to Sustainability: Strategies for Global Industries will appeal to academic researchers working on the production of fuels from renewable feedstocks and those working in green and sustainable chemistry, and chemical/process engineering. It is also an excellent textbook for courses in bioprocessing technology, renewable resources, green energy, and sustainable chemistry.

Smart ceramic coatings containing multifunctional components are now finding application in transportation and automotive industries, in electronics, and energy, sectors, in aerospace and defense, and in industrial goods and healthcare. Their wide application and stability in harsh environments are only possible due to the stability of the inorganic components that are used in ceramic coatings. Ceramic coatings are typically silicon nitride, chromia, hafnia, alumina, alumina-magnesia, silica, silicon carbide, titania, and zirconia-based compositions. The increased demand for these materials and their application in energy, transportation, and the automotive industry, are considered, to be the main drivers. Advanced Ceramic Coatings for Energy Applications covers recent developments in conducting electrodes, photovoltaics, solar cells, battery applications, fuel cells, electrocatalysts, photocatalysts and supercapacitors. The book is one of four volumes that together provide a comprehensive resource in the field of Advanced Ceramic Coatings, also including titles covering: fundamentals, manufacturing, and classification; biomedical applications; and emerging applications. The books will be extremely useful for academic and industrial researchers and practicing engineers who need to find reliable and up-to-date information about recent progresses and new developments in the field of advanced ceramic coatings. It will also be of value to early career scientists providing background knowledge to the field. Includes comprehensive coverage of advanced ceramic coatings for energy applications Features the latest progress and recent technological developments Includes comparisons to other coatings types (e.g., polymers, metals, and enamel) to demonstrate potential, limitations, and differences Contains extensive case studies and worked examples

Bio-butanol has gained wide recognition globally as an advanced biofuel, which can be used directly as a substitute for gasoline in internal combustion engines. This book provides readers with an in-depth knowledge of the various aspects and steps involved in butanol production. Further, the current global status, history, various technologies adopted for butanol production from different feedstocks, and the role of microorganisms in the production process are also covered. The book has 12 chapters, with each chapter dedicated to covering various aspects of butanol, from production to applications.

Biopolymer and Biopolymer Blends: Fundamentals, Processes, and Emerging Applications showcases the potential of biopolymers as alternative sources to conventional nonbiodegradable petroleum-based polymers. It discusses fundamentals of biopolymers and biopolymer blends from natural and synthetic sources, synthesis, and characterization. It also describes development of desired performance for specific applications in 3D printing and other emerging applications in industry, including packaging, pulp and paper, agriculture, biomedical, and marine. Introduces the fundamentals, synthesis, processing, and structural and functional properties of biopolymers and biopolymer blends Explains the fundamental framework of biopolymer blends in 3D printing, featuring current technologies, printing materials, and commercialization of biopolymers in 3D printing Reviews emerging applications, including active food packaging, electronic, antimicrobial, environmental, and more Discusses current challenges and futures prospects. Providing readers with a detailed overview of the latest advances in the field and a wealth of applications, this work will appeal to researchers in materials science and engineering, biotechnology, and related disciplines.

Navigating the Maze: How Science and Technology Policies Shape America and the World offers a captivating deep dive into the inner workings of the world of public policy. Written by prominent science advocate and renowned physics researcher and educator, Michael S. Lubell, this valuable book provides insights and real-world examples for anyone looking to understand how policy works in reality: for students, scientists, and the public. Well-organized and featuring a compelling historical narrative, this unique resource will enable researchers, educators, elected officials, industrialists, financial managers, science lobbyists, and readers in general to easily navigate the complex world of science and technology (S&T) policy. As science communication and STEM policy occupy rapidly growing areas of interest and provide important career paths, this book provides invaluable insights into the public policy arena, as well as lessons for effective science advocacy. Presents compelling narratives about Climate Change, the Internet, the Human Genome, the BRAIN Initiative, the Manhattan Project, the Science Stimulus, the origin of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and more. Provides insights into the future of S&T through a 225-year American policy retrospective, highlighting impacts on health and medicine, STEM education, economic growth, energy, defense, innovation, and industrial competitiveness. Illuminates the role of S&T on the global stage, from diplomatic engagement to military intervention and from scientific collaboration to technological competition.

The papers appearing in this proceedings volume cover a broad range of subjects, owing to the highly cross-disciplinary character of the workshop, and include: experiments and models concerning the dynamics of the neural activity in the cortex (DMS experiments, attractor dynamics in the cortex, spontaneous activity…); hippocampus, space and memory; theoretical advances in neural network modeling; information processing in neural networks; applications of neural networks to experimental physics, particularly to high energy physics; digital and analog hardware implementations of neural networks; etc.