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Countless pages have been written on alternative energy sources since the fall of 1973 when our dependence on fossil petroleum resources became a grim reality. One such alternative is the use of biomass for producing energy and liquid and gaseous fuels. The term "biomass" generally refers to renewable organic matter generated by plants through photosynthesis. Thus trees, agri cultural crops, and aquatic plants are prime sources of biomass. Furthermore, as these sources of biomass are harvested and processed into commercial prod ucts, residues and wastes are generated. These, together with municipal solid wastes, not only add to the total organic raw material base that can be utilized for energy purposes but they also need to be removed for environmental reasons. Biomass has been used since antiquity for energy and material needs. In is still one of the most sought-after energy sources in most of the fact, firewood world. Furthermore, wood was still a dominant energy source in the U. S. only a hundred years ago (equal with coal). Currently, biomass contributes about 15 2 quadrillion Btu (l quad = 10 Btu) of energy to our total energy consump tion of about 78 quad. Two quad may not seem large when compared to the contribution made by petroleum (38 quad) or natural gas (20 quad), but bio mass is nearly comparable to nuclear energy (2. 7 quad).
Progress in Biomass Conversion, Volume 1 reviews advances in the conversion of biomass sources such as wood and wood residues, agricultural materials, and municipal refuse to fuel, with emphasis on the potential of wood to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Topics covered range from wood fuel use in the forest products industry to the economic values of wood residues as fuel. Methanol from wood and pyrolysis of wood residues with a vertical bed reactor are also considered. Comprised of seven chapters, this volume begins with a discussion on living resources and renewing processes, focusing on carbon resources and cycles, biomass system assessment, and the renewability of biomass as well as the feedstock approach of producing chemicals from renewable resources. The use of wood fuel in the forest products industry is then examined, along with the economic importance of wood residues as fuel. Subsequent chapters deal with the pyrolysis of wood residues in a vertical bed reactor; the derivation of methanol from wood; practices for recovering energy from municipal waste in Europe and the United States; and silvicultural energy farms as a potential source of wood fuel in the long term. This book should appeal to energy policymakers as well as public utilities, manufacturing plants, and public institutions interested in biomass fuel utilization.
Biochemical and Photosynthetic Aspects of Energy Production describes the biological processes that may serve to provide alternative energy sources. This book contains nine chapters that specifically tackle the utilization of biological and agricultural wastes, energy farming, and leaf protein. The introductory chapters deal with the dynamics of seaweed growth, the physical properties controlling them, and the elements of algal-bacterial systems. These topics are followed by a discussion on the potential for the production of meaningful amounts of gaseous and liquid fuels, as well as selected organic chemicals from residues and biomass. The following chapters examine the fundamentals and principles of nitrogen fixation, the factors that affect the possibilities of success in energy farming projects, and the development and atmospheric consequences of oxygen and carbon dioxide cycles. The concluding chapters explore the mechanism of glycerol production in the Dunaliella alga and the energy analysis in biofuel production. Biochemists, biologists, and researchers in the fields of alternative fuels will find this book of great value.