A whole host of motivations are driving the development of the “renewables” industry— ranging from the desire to develop sustainable energy resources to the reduction of dangerous greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. All energy utilized on the earth is ultimately derived from the sun through photosynthesis—the only truly renewable commodity. As concerns regarding increasing energy prices, global warming and renewable resources continue to grow, so has scientific discovery into agricultural biomass conversion. Plant Biomass Conversion addresses both the development of plant biomass and conversion technology, in addition to issues surrounding biomass conversion, such as the affect on water resources and soil sustainability. This book also offers a brief overview of the current status of the industry and examples of production plants being used in current biomass conversion efforts.

A whole host of motivations are driving the development of the “renewables” industry— ranging from the desire to develop sustainable energy resources to the reduction of dangerous greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. All energy utilized on the earth is ultimately derived from the sun through photosynthesis—the only truly renewable commodity. As concerns regarding increasing energy prices, global warming and renewable resources continue to grow, so has scientific discovery into agricultural biomass conversion. Plant Biomass Conversion addresses both the development of plant biomass and conversion technology, in addition to issues surrounding biomass conversion, such as the affect on water resources and soil sustainability. This book also offers a brief overview of the current status of the industry and examples of production plants being used in current biomass conversion efforts.

Plant biomass is attracting increasing attention as a sustainable resource for large-scale production of renewable fuels and chemicals. However, in order to successfully compete with petroleum, it is vital that biomass conversion processes are designed to minimize costs and maximize yields. Advances in pretreatment technology are critical in order to develop high-yielding, cost-competitive routes to renewable fuels and chemicals. Aqueous Pretreatment of Plant Biomass for Biological and Chemical Conversion to Fuels and Chemicals presents a comprehensive overview of the currently available aqueous pretreatment technologies for cellulosic biomass, highlighting the fundamental chemistry and biology of each method, key attributes and limitations, and opportunities for future advances. Topics covered include: • The importance of biomass conversion to fuels • The role of pretreatment in biological and chemical conversion of biomass • Composition and structure of biomass, and recalcitrance to conversion • Fundamentals of biomass pretreatment at low, neutral and high pH • Ionic liquid and organosolv pretreatments to fractionate biomass • Comparative data for application of leading pretreatments and effect of enzyme formulations • Physical and chemical features of pretreated biomass • Economics of pretreatment for biological processing • Methods of analysis and enzymatic conversion of biomass streams • Experimental pretreatment systems from multiwell plates to pilot plant operations This comprehensive reference book provides an authoritative source of information on the pretreatment of cellulosic biomass to aid those experienced in the field to access the most current information on the topic. It will also be invaluable to those entering the growing field of biomass conversion.

The consumption of petroleum has surged during the 20th century, at least partially because of the rise of the automobile industry. Today, fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas provide more than three quarters of the world's energy. Unfortunately, the growing demand for fossil fuel resources comes at a time of diminishing reserves of these nonrenewable resources. The worldwide reserves of oil are sufficient to supply energy and chemicals for only about another 40 years, causing widening concerns about rising oil prices. The use of biomass to produce energy is only one form of renewable energy that can be utilized to reduce the impact of energy production and use on the global environment. Biomass can be converted into three main products such as energy, biofuels and fine chemicals using a number of different processes. Today, it is a great challenge for researchers to find new environmentally benign methodology for biomass conversion, which are industrially profitable as well. This book focuses on the conversion of biomass to biofuels, bioenergy and fine chemicals with the interface of biotechnology, microbiology, chemistry and materials science. An international scientific authorship summarizes the state-of-the-art of the current research and gives an outlook on future developments.

Plant biomass is attracting increasing attention as a sustainable resource for large-scale production of renewable fuels and chemicals. However, in order to successfully compete with petroleum, it is vital that biomass conversion processes are designed to minimize costs and maximize yields. Advances in pretreatment technology are critical in order to develop high-yielding, cost-competitive routes to renewable fuels and chemicals. Aqueous Pretreatment of Plant Biomass for Biological and Chemical Conversion to Fuels and Chemicals presents a comprehensive overview of the currently available aqueous pretreatment technologies for cellulosic biomass, highlighting the fundamental chemistry and biology of each method, key attributes and limitations, and opportunities for future advances. Topics covered include: • The importance of biomass conversion to fuels • The role of pretreatment in biological and chemical conversion of biomass • Composition and structure of biomass, and recalcitrance to conversion • Fundamentals of biomass pretreatment at low, neutral and high pH • Ionic liquid and organosolv pretreatments to fractionate biomass • Comparative data for application of leading pretreatments and effect of enzyme formulations • Physical and chemical features of pretreated biomass • Economics of pretreatment for biological processing • Methods of analysis and enzymatic conversion of biomass streams • Experimental pretreatment systems from multiwell plates to pilot plant operations This comprehensive reference book provides an authoritative source of information on the pretreatment of cellulosic biomass to aid those experienced in the field to access the most current information on the topic. It will also be invaluable to those entering the growing field of biomass conversion.

This book covers biomass modification to facilitate the industrial degradation processing and other characteristics of feedstocks and new technologies for the conversion of lignocelluloses into biofuels and other products.

This book examines the connection between biomass structure, ultrastructure, and composition, to resistance to enzymatic deconstruction, with the aim of discovering new cost-effective technologies for biorefineries. It contains chapters on topics extending from the highest levels of biorefinery design and biomass life-cycle analysis, to detailed aspects of plant cell wall structure, chemical treatments, enzymatic hydrolysis, and product fermentation options."--Pub. desc.