Written as a practical introduction to biogas plant design and operation, this book fills a huge gap by presenting a systematic guide to this emerging technology -- information otherwise only available in poorly intelligible reports by US governmental and other official agencies. The author draws on teaching material from a university course as well as a wide variety of industrial biogas projects he has been involved with, thus combining didactical skill with real-life examples. Alongside biological and technical aspects of biogas generation, this timely work also looks at safety and legal aspects as well as environmental considerations.

Continuously increased consumption of fossil fuels, decreased availability of easily accessible fossil fuels, significant contributions to climate change and wildly fluctuating fuels prices have combine to challenge the reliability and sustainability of our current energy supply. A possible solution to this energy challenge, biomass energy producti

Solid waste management is currently a major issue worldwide with numerous areas reaching critical levels. Many developing countries and countries in transition still miss basic waste management infrastructure and awareness. It is here that many of the solid waste management problems and challenges are currently being faced. As such, waste-to-energy (WTE) consists of a proven and continuously developing spectrum and range of technologies in a number of (mostly) developed countries. However, it’s integration in developing countries and systems in transition is often faced with scepticism and a complex set of barriers which are quite unique and differ greatly from those where WTE has been validated and applied over the years. Waste-to-Energy: Opportunities and Challenges for Developing and Transition Economies will address this issue both theoretically and using concrete examples, including: · contributions from numerous scholars and practitioners in the field, · useful lessons and rules of thumb, · both successful and failed cases, and · real-life examples and developments. Waste-to-Energy approaches this dynamic aspect of environmental engineering and management in a methodical and detailed manner making it an important resource for SWM planners and facility operators as well as undergraduate and post graduate students and researchers.

Sustainability is a key driving force for industries in the chemical, food, packaging, agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors, and quantitative sustainability indicators are being incorporated into company reports. This is driving the uptake of renewable resources and the adoption of renewables. Renewables' can either be the substituted raw materials that are used in a given industry, (e.g. the use of biomass for fuel); the use and/or modification of a crop for use in a new industry (e.g. plant cellulose), or the reuse of a waste product (e.g. organic waste for energy production). This is the first book in the Wiley Renewable Resources series that brings together the range of sustainability assessment methods and their uses. Ensuing books in the series will look at individual renewable materials and applications.

The world is currently consuming about 85 million barrels of oil a day, and about two-thirds as much natural gas equivalent, both derived from non-renewable natural sources. In the foreseeable future, our energy needs will come from any available alternate source. Methanol is one such viable alternative, and also offers a convenient solution for efficient energy storage on a large scale. In this updated and enlarged edition, renowned chemists discuss in a clear and readily accessible manner the pros and cons of humankind's current main energy sources, while providing new ways to overcome obstacles. Following an introduction, the authors look at the interrelationship of fuels and energy, and at the extent of our non-renewable fossil fuels. They also discuss the hydrogen economy and its significant shortcomings. The main focus is on the conversion of CO2 from industrial as well as natural sources into liquid methanol and related DME, a diesel fuel substitute that can replace LNG and LPG. The book is rounded off with an optimistic look at future possibilities. A forward-looking and inspiring work that vividly illustrates potential solutions to our energy and environmental problems.

This book is an ideal reference text for teaching renewable energy to engineering and science students, as well as a reference book for scientists and professionals doing self study on the subject. The book has twelve chapters and starts with the definition and classification of renewable and non renewable energy and their status at global level. This chapter also contains the basic heat transfer mechanisms and laws of thermodynamics. It then deals with availability of solar radiation at different latitudes and energy and exergy analysis of flat plate collector, solar air collector, solar concentrator, evacuated tube collector, solar water heating system, solar distillation and solar cooker. The following chapter discusses the basics of semiconductor, its characteristics, working, characteristics of solar cell in dark and daylight situation, fundamentals of characteristic curves of semiconductor, fundamentals of PV module and array and some PVT systems. Detailed discussion on biomass, bio-fuels and biogas and their applications and the power produced by them, namely bio-power, is covered in the following chapters. Other renewable energy sources like hydropower, wind and geothermal are then covered as well as a chapter dealing with the working principle, basic theory and the capability to produce power from ocean thermal, tidal, wave and animal energy conversion systems. Subsequently, net CO2 mitigation, carbon credit, climate change and environmental impacts of all renewable energy resources are all covered followed by a discussion on the techno-economic feasibility of any energy sources as the backbone of its success and hence energy and economic analysis. The chapters deal the overall exergy of renewable energy sources by using the thermal and mechanical power and electrical energy as output. SI units are used throughout the book in solving various exercises in each chapter and conversion units of various physical and chemical parameters of metals and non-metals are also given in appendices.