Lignocellulose is the only renewable carbon source that can help replace oil-based chemicals and materials, in the process fighting global warming. However, because of its chemical and structural complexity, lignocellulose transformation into advanced products requires a better understanding of its composition and of its architecture at different scales, as well as a combination of physical, biological, and chemical processes, in order to render this transformation efficient and economically competitive. Tremendous efforts continue to be made toward the production of ethanol as a biofuel from various lignocellulosic feedstocks. Furthermore, recent successes have been achieved in extracting fibers to prepare composite materials that can compete with plastic fabrics. Importantly, lignocellulose chemistry can bring to the market original and complex chemicals that can lead to new applications, in particular when exploiting aromatic molecules or oligosaccharides from lignocellulose to produce solvents, surfactants, plasticizers, functional additives for food/feed/cosmetics, drugs, monomers, and polymers. In addition to this broad range of molecular products, fibers and particles fractionated from the lignocellulosic biomass are increasingly used to elaborate bio-based composite materials.

In order to preserve this world for future generations, we must strive for sustainable development — a development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising options and resources for future generations to meet their own needs. However, some scientists suspect that recent large floods, heat waves and drought in Central Europe and the Down Danubian region are indicators of more severe hazardous events in the future. Increased pollution in the atmosphere is causing gradual increase of the temperature. The environment is becoming increasingly endangered, especially as humans encroach on and modify fragile environments. Based on papers presented at the 9th International Symposium on Interdisciplinary Regional Research (ISIRR 2007) ON 21–22 June 2007 in Novi Sad (Serbia), this book covers, for the first time, the complex field of technological, agricultural and developmental horizons in natural resources, medical problems, ecological modeling, and relations of humanity issues and society in the Down Danubian region.

Advanced Bioprocessing for Alternative Fuels, Bio-based Chemicals, and Bioproducts: Technologies and Approaches for Scale-Up and Commercialization demonstrates novel systems that apply advanced bioprocessing technologies to produce biofuels, bio-based chemicals, and value-added bioproducts from renewable sources. The book presents the use of novel oleaginous microorganisms and utilization strategies for applications of advanced bioprocessing technology in biofuels production and thoroughly depicts the technological breakthroughs of value added bioproducts. It also aides in the design, evaluation and production of biofuels by describing metabolic engineering and genetic manipulation of biofuels feedstocks. Users will find a thorough overview of the most recent discoveries in biofuels research and the inherent challenges associated with scale up. Emphasis is placed on technological milestones and breakthroughs in applications of new bioprocessing technologies for biofuels production. Its essential information can be used to understand how to incorporate advanced bioprocessing technologies into the scaling up of laboratory technologies to industrial applications while complying with biofuels policies and regulations. - Presents the use of novel oleaginous microorganisms and utilization strategies for the applications of advanced technologies in biofuels production - Provides a basis for technology assessments, progress and advances, as well as the challenges associated with biofuels at industrial scale - Describes, in detail, technologies for metabolic engineering and genetic manipulation of biofuels feedstocks, thus aiding in the design, evaluation and production of advanced biofuels

Introduction to Chemicals from Biomass, Second Edition presents an overview of the use of biorenewable resources in the 21st century for the manufacture of chemical products, materials and energy. The book demonstrates that biomass is essentially a rich mixture of chemicals and materials and, as such, has a tremendous potential as feedstock for making a wide range of chemicals and materials with applications in industries from pharmaceuticals to furniture. Completely revised and updated to reflect recent developments, this new edition begins with an introduction to the biorefinery concept, followed by chapters addressing the various types of available biomass feedstocks, including waste, and the different pre-treatment and processing technologies being developed to turn these feedstocks into platform chemicals, polymers, materials and energy. The book concludes with a discussion on the policies and strategies being put in place for delivering the so-called Bioeconomy. Introduction to Chemicals from Biomass is a valuable resource for academics, industrial scientists and policy-makers working in the areas of industrial biotechnology, biorenewables, chemical engineering, fine and bulk chemical production, agriculture technologies, plant science, and energy and power generation. We need to reduce our dependence on fossil resources and increasingly derive all the chemicals we take for granted and use in our daily life from biomass – and we must make sure that we do this using green chemistry and sustainable technologies! For more information on the Wiley Series in Renewable Resources, visit www.wiley.com/go/rrs Topics covered include: • The biorefinery concept • Biomass feedstocks • Pre-treatment technologies • Platform molecules from renewable resources • Polymers from bio-based monomers • Biomaterials • Bio-based energy production Praise for the 1st edition: “Drawing on the expertise of the authors the book involves a degree of plant biology and chemical engineering, which illustrates the multidisciplinary nature of the topic beautifully” - Chemistry World

The book reports progress on the development of new biodegradable polymers, composites and nanocomposites for use in such areas as drug delivery, packaging, food and agricultural technology. The world has become increasingly worried about non-degradable polymers used in our daily activities. Hence, biodegradable polymers and composites are of growing demand to replace petroleum based polymers and products. Keywords: Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Biodegradable Composites, Biodegradable Nanocomposites, Green Composites, Biodegradable Packaging, Bioplastics, Biodegradation Test Methods, Polyhydroxybutyrate, Lipids, Liposomes, Lipid Composites, Natural Fiber, Drug Delivery, Dunnage, Electronics Packaging, Horticulture, Plantable Pots.

Improvements in Bio-Based Building Blocks Production Through Process Intensification and Sustainability Concepts discusses new information on the production and cost of bio-based building blocks. From a technical point-of-view, almost all industrial materials made from fossil resources can be substituted using bio-based counterparts. However, the cost of bio-based production in many cases exceeds the cost of petrochemical production. In addition, new products must be proven to perform at least as good as their petrochemical equivalents, have a lower environmental impact, meet consumer demand for environmentally-friendly products, factor in population growth, and account for limited supplies of non-renewables. This book outlines the application of process intensification techniques which allow for the generation of clean, efficient and economical processes for bio-based chemical blocks production. - Includes synthesis and process design strategies for intensified processes - Describes multi-objective optimization applied to the production of bio-based building blocks - Presents the controllability of processes where the production of bio-based building blocks is involved - Provides examples using aspen and MATLAB - Introduces several sustainable indexes to evaluate production processes - Presents process intensification techniques to improve performance in productive processes