Biofuels

This editor believes the public finally understands that bioenergy should be a critical new 39 component of our world's future energy supply. While this new enlightenment might have 40 come from bioenergy's environmentally friendly attributes and its renewable and sustain- 41 able nature, the reality is that the primary driver has been both the high cost of energy, 42 led recently by petroleum products, and the unique climatic changes such as local weather 43 events and reports of melting of ancient glaciers. I believe that much of the public under- 44 stands the primary cause of these changes is the growing demand for fossil fuels for heat- 45 ing and transportation needs driven by both population increases and dramatic economic 46 development around the globe. This increased demand, as well as global politics, has 47 impacted the costs for these energy products. At the same time, increased use of fossil fuels 48 has been liberating unprecedented levels of CO and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) 49 2 that must be impacting the global climate. As a result, the world is looking for alternative 50 solutions. Renewable energy is one of the leading options as long as it is pursued in a sus- 51 tainable fashion. Of course, renewable energy has numerous sources, including wind, solar, 52 geothermal, ocean currents/tides, and bio-based energy. The latter category of renewable 53 energy is centered primarily on use of green plant matter, i. e.

From field to biorefinery, includes details of how to get there efficiently and economically Switchgrass and Miscanthus: what they are and how to grow them in the field Biomass pretreatment: the start to successful biomass conversion Analyzes biomass sources and process inhibitors with advanced instrumentation Details biomass and lignin characterization and processing protocols Biomass fermentation: what enzymes, microorganisms and processes are needed Explains how to efficiently produce high quality biodiesel fuels

Klappentext

With the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels and growing concerns regarding climate changes due to green house gasses from these fuels, public opinion has swung dramatically towards favoring the development of renewable energy sources. In Biofuels: Methods and Protocols, career-long experts explore a full range of methods for bioenergy covering important topics such as biomass production and delivery to the biorefinery, detailed biochemical characterization, as well as biotechnological techniques for converting plant matter into fuels and chemicals. Time is of the essence in this field, and this volume aims to provide direction and assistance to the growing cadre of researchers endeavoring to develop new sources of bioenergy with a solid, easy-to-use collection of tried-and-true methods which will save time and effort in the field and the laboratory. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary equipment, materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible field and laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding common pitfalls.

Timely and authoritative, Biofuels: Methods and Protocols seeks to help scientists and engineers as they develop and optimize bioenergy technologies needed to drastically change the course of our energy future as soon as possible.

Inhalt
Biomass Supply Logistics and Infrastructure.- Selecting, Establishing, and Managing Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) for Biofuels.- Agronomic Experiences with Miscanthus x giganteus in Illinois, USA.- Genetic Transformation of Switchgrass.- Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment Using AFEX.- Pretreatment of Biomass by Aqueous Ammonia for Bioethanol Production.- Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment of Cellulosic Biomass.- Dilute Acid and Autohydrolysis Pretreatment.- Lime Pretreatment.- Analytical Characterization of Fermentation Inhibitors in Biomass Pretreatment Samples Using Liquid Chromatography, UV-Visible Spectroscopy, and Tandem Mass Spectrometry.- Biomass Compositional Analysis for Energy Applications.- High-Throughput Screening of Plant Cell-Wall Composition Using Pyrolysis Molecular Beam Mass Spectroscopy.- Preparation and Analysis of Biomass Lignins.- Cellulase Assays.- Assessing Cellulase Performance on Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomass Using Saccharification and Fermentation-Based Protocols.- Basic Laboratory Culture Methods for Anaerobic Bacteria.- Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation and Partial Saccharification and Co-Fermentation of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Ethanol Production.- Biodiesel: Small Scale Production and Quality Requirements.