Energy is an essential aspect of everyday life. Energy can be produced from renewable as well as non-renewable sources of Energy. The energy produced from non-renewable sources such as coal and petroleum produce pollution which adversely impacts our environment. Therefore, the need of the hour, is to use renewable sources of energy such as sunlight, wind, waves, etc. to meet the primary energy demands. Biofuels are fuels derived from biomass any matter derived from plants or animals. Biomass has traditionally been used as fuel for energy production in the form of wood, charcoal or animal waste. A basic distinction is made between unprocessed primary biofuels, such as fuel wood, and processed secondary biofuels. The latter include liquid biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, which have increasingly been used for transport in the last few years. Ethanol and biodiesel are the most widely used liquid biofuels. Ethanol can be produced through fermentation and distillation from any raw material containing significant amounts of sugar (e.g. sugar cane or sugar beet) or starch (e.g. maize, wheat or cassava). Biodiesel is produced by chemically combining vegetable oil or animal fat with an alcohol. It can be produced for instance from rapeseed, soybean, palm, or coconut oils. Current liquid biofuels, referred to as first generation biofuels only use sugar, starch or oil and thus a fraction of the energy contained in the plant material. However, most plant matter is composed of cellulose and lignin.
For greater efficiency, second-generation biofuel technologies are being developed to make use of these components. There are significant technical hurdles still too clear to make production of lignocellulosic ethanol commercially competitive, but once these processes become economically viable, they could use waste products from agriculture and forestry, municipal waste, as well as new crops such as fast-growing trees or grasses. Large-scale production of biofuels from crops requires large land areas, so liquid biofuels can only replace fossil fuels to a very limited extent. Current production is equivalent to less than one percent of world transport fuel demand. Moreover, taking into account the existing world experience, it can be assumed that in the coming years, the development aimed at improving biofuel production technologies will continue actively. In parallel, progress can be expected in managing the production and use of biofuels to achieve better economic results. This book is a vital tool for all researching or studying the field of biofuel and renewable energy as it gives incredible insights into emerging trends and concepts related to it. From theories to research to practical applications, case studies related to all contemporary topics of relevance to this field have been included in this book. It is a vital tool for all researching and studying this field.
Collin Nixon holds M.Sc. in Biofuels Process Engineering from Public Research University, Queensland. He working as a Scientific Associate at Technical Institute, Krasnoyarsk. His interest areas of academic research include biodiesel and bioethanol. He is on the editorial board of several renowned biofuel and bioenergy journals; and has edited over 230 technical papers and eight reference books. Nixon has also won an “Excellence in Graduate Education” award for his outstanding contribution towards the researcher community especially in the higher education programs.
