Assesses the short-term outlook for production of next-generation biofuels and the near-term challenges facing the sector. Next-generation U.S. biofuel capacity should reach about 88 mill. gal. in 2010, thanks to one plant becoming commercially operational in 2010, using non-cellulosic animal fat to produce green diesel. U.S. production capacity for cellulosic biofuels is estimated to be 10 mill. gal. for 2010, much less than the 100 mill. gal. originally mandated in 2007. Near-term sector challenges include reducing high capital and production costs, acquiring financial resources for pre-commercial development, developing new biomass supply arrangements, and overcoming the constraints of ethanol¿s current 10-percent blending limit with gasoline. Charts and tables.

This title presents a general but substantial review of the most promising processes and the spectrum of biomass pretreatment, enzymes, chemical catalysts, and hybrid approaches of hydrolyzing biomass into fermentable sugars.

Today the world is facing three critical problems: (i) High fuel prices, (ii) Climatic changes (iii) Air pollution. Currently there are several important problems to be resolved worldwide: (1) high need for energy, (2) high depletion of non-renewable energy resources and (3) high local and global environmental pollution. This book “Biofuels - A Promising alternate for next generation fuels” deals with the production of biofuels. The biggest difference between biofuels and petroleum feedstock is oxygen content. Biofuels have oxygen levels from 10% to 45% while petroleum has essentially none making the chemical properties of biofuels very different from petroleum. Oxygenates are just pre-used hydrocarbons having a structure that provides a reasonable antiknock value. Most traditional biofuels, such as ethanol from corn, wheat, or sugar beets, and biodiesel from oil seeds, are produced from classic agricultural food crops that require high-quality agricultural land for growth. The term biofuel is referred to as liquid or gaseous fuels for the transport sector that are predominantly produced from biomass. There are several reasons for biofuels to be considered as relevant technologies by both developing and industrialized countries. They include energy security reasons, environmental concerns, foreign exchange savings, and socioeconomic issues related to the rural sector. Biomass can be converted to biofuels through various methods like chemical, such as biomethanol and biodiesel production, thermochemical, such as bio-oil, bio-syngas, biohydrogen production, and biochemical, such as bioethanol, biogas, biodiesel and biohydrogen production.

This edited book brings out a comprehensive collection of information on the modern omics-based research. The main focus of this book is to educate researchers about utility of omics-based technologies in rapid crop improvement. In last two decades, omics technologies have been utilized significantly in the area of plant sciences and has shown promising results. Omics technology has potential to address the challenge of food security in the near future. The comprehensive use of omics technology occurred in last two decades and helped greatly in the understanding of complex biological problems, improve crop productivity and ensure sustainable use of ecosystem services. This book is of interest to researchers and students of life sciences, biotechnology, plant biotechnology, agriculture, forestry, and environmental sciences. It is also a useful knowledge resource for national and international agricultural scientists.

Sustainable Biofuels: Opportunities and challenges, a volume in the "Applied Biotechnology Reviews series, explores the state-of-the-art in research and applied technology for the conversion of all types of biofuels. Its chapters span a broad spectrum of knowledge, from fundamentals and technical aspects to optimization, combinations, economics, and environmental aspects. They cover various facets of research, production, and commercialization of bioethanol, biodiesel, biomethane, biohydrogen, biobutanol, and biojet fuel. This book discusses biochemical, thermochemical, and hydrothermal conversion of unconventional feedstocks, including the role of biotechnology applications to achieve efficiency and competitiveness. Through case studies, techno-economic analysis and sustainability assessment, including life cycle assessment, it goes beyond technical aspects to provides actual resources for better decision-making during the development of commercially viable technology by researchers, PhD students, and practitioners in the field of bioenergy. It is also a useful resource for those in adjacent areas, such as biotechnology, industrial microbiology, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, and sustainability science, who are working on solutions for the bioeconomy. The ability to compare different technologies and their outcome that this book provides is also beneficial for energy analysts, consultants, planners, and policy-makers. The "Applied Biotechnology Reviews series highlights current development and research in biotechnology-related fields, combining in single-volume works the theoretical aspects and real-world applications for better decision-making. - Covers current technologies and advancements in biochemical, thermochemical, and hydrothermal conversion methods for production of various types of biofuels from conventional and nonconventional feedstock - Examines biotechnology processes, including genetic engineering of microorganisms and substrates, applied to biofuel production - Bridges the gap between technology development and prospects of commercialization of bioprocesses, including policy and economics of biofuel production, biofuel value chains, and how to accomplish cost-competitive results and sustainable development

Handbook of Biofuels Production, Second Edition, discusses advanced chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical biofuels production routes that are fast being developed to address the global increase in energy usage. Research and development in this field is aimed at improving the quality and environmental impact of biofuels production, as well as the overall efficiency and output of biofuels production plants. The book provides a comprehensive and systematic reference on the range of biomass conversion processes and technology. Key changes for this second edition include increased coverage of emerging feedstocks, including microalgae, more emphasis on by-product valorization for biofuels' production, additional chapters on emerging biofuel production methods, and discussion of the emissions associated with biofuel use in engines. The editorial team is strengthened by the addition of two extra members, and a number of new contributors have been invited to work with authors from the first edition to revise existing chapters, thus offering fresh perspectives. - Provides systematic and detailed coverage of the processes and technologies being used for biofuel production - Discusses advanced chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical biofuels production routes that are fast being developed to address the global increase in energy usage - Reviews the production of both first and second generation biofuels - Addresses integrated biofuel production in biorefineries and the use of waste materials as feedstocks