Depleting fossil fuel reserves and adverse effects of fluctuating oil prices have renewed interest in alternative and sustainable sources of energy.
A new book published by Elsevier, Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels, edited by UVM biofuels instructor Anju Dahiya, takes on this topic and examines current and emerging feedstocks and advanced processes and technologies enabling the development of all possible alternative energy sources: solid (wood energy, grass energy, and other biomass), liquid (biodiesel, algae biofuel, ethanol), and gaseous/electric (biogas, syngas, bioelectricity).
Divided into seven parts, Bioenergy gives thorough consideration to topics such as feedstocks, biomass production and utilization, life cycle analysis, Energy Return on Invested integrated sustainability assessments, conversions technologies, biofuels economics and policy. In addition, contributions from leading industry professionals and academics, augmented by related service-learning case studies and quizzes, provide readers with a comprehensive resource that connect theory to real-world implementation.
Dahiya’s “Biomass to Biofuels” program at UVM, developed with support from the US Department of Energy, brings together experts from the biofuels industry, farms and the university faculty to provide hands on experience working with all possible renewable bio-energy options: liquid biofuels (biodiesel including oil seeds; ethanol, algae oil), solid biomass (woody biomass and grass energy), and biogas.