Sustainable Bioenergy

Given the environmental concerns and declining availability of fossil fuels, as well as the growing population worldwide, it is essential to move toward a sustainable bioenergy-based economy. However, it is also imperative to address sustainability in the bioenergy industry in order to avoid depleting necessary biomass resources. Sustainable Bioenergy Production provides comprehensive knowledge and skills for the analysis and design of sustainable biomass production, bioenergy processing, and biorefinery systems for professionals in the bioenergy field. Focusing on topics vital to the sustainability of the bioenergy industry, this book is divided into four sections: Fundamentals of Engineering Analysis and Design of Bioenergy Production Systems, Sustainable Biomass Production and Supply Logistics, Sustainable Bioenergy Processing, and Sustainable Biorefinery Systems. Section I covers the fundamentals of genetic engineering, novel breeding, and cropping technologies applied in the development of energy crops. It discusses modern computational tools used in the design and analysis of bioenergy production systems and the life-cycle assessment for evaluating the environmental sustainability of biomass production and bioenergy processing technologies. Section II focuses on the technical and economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of various biomass feedstocks and emerging technologies to improve feedstock sustainability. Section III addresses the technical and economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of different bioenergy processing technologies and emerging technologies to improve the sustainability of each bioenergy process. Section IV discusses the design and analysis of biorefineries and different biorefinery systems, including lignocellulosic feedstock, whole-crop, and green biorefinery.

This book presents a systems approach to bioenergy and provides a means to capture the complexity of bioenergy issues, including both direct and indirect impacts across the energy economy. The book addresses critical topics such as systems thinking; sustainability, biomass; feedstocks of importance and relevance (that are not competing with the food market); anaerobic digestion and biogas; biopower and bioheat; and policies, economy, and rights to access to clean energy. This is a contributed volume with each chapter written by relevant experts in the respective fields of research and teaching. Each chapter includes a review with highlights of the key points, critical-thinking questions, and a glossary.This book can be used as a primary or secondary textbook in courses related to bioenergy and bioproducts and sustainable biofuels. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Researchers, professionals, and policy makers will also be able to use this book for current reference materials.

Growing concerns about the impacts of climate change and dependence on fossil fuels have intensified interest in bioenergy from sugar cane and other crops, highlighting important links between energy, environment and development goals. Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by severe poverty; the possibility to exploit a renewable energy resource offers valuable avenues for sustainable development and could support a more dynamic and competitive economy. This book describes how the bioenergy expansion will improve rural livelihoods, reduce costly energy imports, reduce GHG emissions, and offer new development paths. Drawing on international experience, it is shown that harnessing this potential will require significant increases in investment, technology transfer, and international cooperation. Because of its high efficiency, the authors argue that sugar cane should be viewed as a global resource for sustainable development and should command much greater focus and concerted policy action. Through an analysis of the agronomy, land suitability and industrial processing of sugar cane and its co-products, along with an assessment of the energy, economic and environmental implications, this volume demonstrates that sugar cane offers a competitive and environmentally beneficial resource for Africa's economic development and energy security. With forty-four authors representing thirty organisations in sixteen countries, the book offers a truly international and interdisciplinary perspective by combining technical and economic principles with social, political and environmental assessment and policy analysis.

Given the environmental concerns and declining availability of fossil fuels, as well as the growing population worldwide, it is essential to move toward a sustainable bioenergy-based economy. However, it is also imperative to address sustainability in the bioenergy industry in order to avoid depleting necessary biomass resources. Sustainable Bioene

Bioenergy from Sustainable Forestry synthesizes information needed to design or implement sustainable forest management systems for production of biomass for energy in conjunction with other forest products. It is organized around the criteria for sustainable forest management: productivity, environment, social issues, economics, and legal and institutional framework. More than 25 international experts from 10 countries have brought together available ecological, physical, operational, social and economic information and identified gaps in knowledge related to biomass production and harvesting systems. This is the first time that such comprehensive information has been brought together under one cover, using an integrated, holistic approach. Guiding principles and state of the art knowledge are emphasized. The book will enable forest resource managers and planners to evaluate the ability of specific forest regions to sustainably meet bioenergy production demands.

Sustainable Bioenergy: Advances and Impacts presents a careful overview of advances and promising innovation in the development of various bioenergy technologies. It covers the production of bio-jet fuel, algal biofuels, recent developments in bioprocesses, nanotechnology applications for energy conversion, the role of different catalysts in the production of biofuels, and the impacts of those fuels on society. The book brings together global experts to form a big picture of cutting-edge research in sustainable bioenergy and biofuels. It is an ideal resource for researchers, students, energy analysts and policymakers who will benefit from the book's overview of impacts and innovative needs. - Explores the most recent advances in biofuels and related energy systems, including innovations in catalysts and biocatalysts - Provides an overview of the impacts of bioenergy and its sustainability aspects - Discusses real-life cases of implementation of bioenergy systems on an industrial scale

Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts considers the recent technological innovations and emerging concepts in biobased energy production and coproducts utilization. Each chapter in this book has been carefully selected and contributed by experts in the field to provide a good understanding of the various challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable production of biofuel. Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts covers a broad and detailed range of topics including: production capacity of hydrocarbons in the plant kingdom, algae, and microbes; biomass pretreatment for biofuel production; microbial fuel cells; sustainable use of biofuel co-products; bioeconomy and transportation infrastructure impacts and assessment of environmental risks and the life cycle of biofuels. Researchers, practitioners, undergraduate and graduate students engaged in the study of biorenewables, and members of the well-informed public will find Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts to be a useful and comprehensive research tool, describing the state of the art and recent developments in this field.

Because of the major opportunities and risks associated with it, and the complexity of the subject, bioenergy policy has in a short time become a challenging political task for regulators and planners – a task that can only be accomplished through worldwide cooperation and the creation of an international framework. This book's central message is that the sustainable potential of bioenergy, which can be tapped all over the world, should be utilized – provided that threats to sustainability are avoided. In particular, the use of bioenergy must not endanger food security or the goals of nature conservation and climate change mitigation.