Biofuel Crop For Sustainable Agriculture (ePub)

With the increasing worldwide demand of energy along with the depletion of conventional fossil fuel reserves, there has been growing global interest in developing alternative sources of energy. Biofuels offer much promise on these frontiers. Biofuels are fuels derived from biomass any matter derived from plants or animals. Biomass has traditionally been used as fuel for energy production in the form of wood, charcoal or animal waste. A basic distinction is made between unprocessed primary biofuels, such as fuel wood, and processed secondary biofuels. Ethanol and biodiesel are the most widely used liquid biofuels. From a sustainability perspective, biofuels offer both advantages (energy security, GHG reductions, reduced air pollution) and risks (intensive use of resources, monocultures, reduced biodiversity, and even higher GHGs through land use change); and measuring biofuel sustainability requires approaching economic, environmental and social sustainability in an integrated way to maximize benefits and minimize risks. This book does an excellent job of filtering through data, providing a historical perspective on which to anchor the information, and outlining the strengths and constraints of the different biofuels. The book brings together the fundamental principles of crops and manure as sources of biofuels, from the economic and ecological opportunities and challenges of sustainable biofuel crop production to the unique characteristics of particular crops which make them ideal for biofuel applications. It also deals with agricultural residues in sustainable biofuel, biomass valorization, multipurpose biorefineries, biofuel supply chains and methodology to evaluate biofuel. From theories to research to practical applications, case studies related to all contemporary topics of relevance to this field have been included in this book. It is a vital tool for all researching and studying this field.