Biofuels

The use of biofuels is rapidly gaining momentum all over the world, and can be expected to have an ever increasing impact on the energy and agricultural sector in particular.

Biofuels covers the use and conversion technologies of biomass as a renewable resource to produce bioenergy in a sustainable way, mainly in the form of liquid and gaseous biofuels. It gives a broad overview of biofuel developments from both a technical and an economical angle. The different production technologies for biofuels that exist or are under development are extensively covered in depth, dealing with both first generation as well as second generation technologies. Market developments in the sector, including trends on prices, markets and growth are also discussed. The link between the technical and economical developments are indicated throughout the text. The interactions between the technical, economical and ecological aspects are clearly expressed in this volume and are actually covered here for the first time in a single comprehensive volume.

This comprehensive text will prove useful for chemists, biologists and engineers working in the emerging biofuels industry, for researchers and academics interested in the field, as well as for those active in conventional fuel companies. The book is also relevant to people active in policy or financing, either within the government, industry or academia. This volume offers an excellent source of useful information and allows reflection about the bio-based economy in general.

Topics covered include:

Process Technologies forBio-ethanol Production Process Technologies for Biodiesel Production Bio-based Fischer-Tropsch Diesel Production Biomass Digestion to Methane Biological Hydrogen Production Feedstocks for Biorefineries Sustainability of Biofuels

Author Notes

Wim Soetaert, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Erick J. Vandamme, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

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Choice Review

Soetaert and Vandamme (both, bioscience engineering, Ghent Univ., Belgium) have compiled and edited a collection of papers that provide an in-depth evaluation of the advances and challenges faced in developing a sustainable biofuels industry. Chapters written by international authorities cover process technologies for bioethanol and biodiesel productions, as well as biomass digestion by microbes for production of methane and hydrogen. Further, certain chapters are devoted to discussing the progress made in countries such as Brazil, Germany, and the US that have infrastructure and government policies in place to accelerate expansion of the industry. Biochemistry and schematics of the processes used in biofuel production are presented in enough technical detail to make this book most suitable for engineers, biochemists, and microbiologists working in research or academia. This compilation provides a worthwhile insight into the past accomplishments, future needs, and economics in developing this industry that will meet a growing demand for energy. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty. G. E. Aiken independent scholar

Wim Soetaert and Erick J. VandammeMatthew T. Carr and James R. HettenhausBrent Erickson and Matthew T. CarrArnaldo WalterMartin MittelbachRobin Zwart and René van ReeBarnim JeschkeHideki FukudaRoland Verhé and Christian V. StevensPeter Weiland and Willy Verstraete and Adrianus Van HaandelServé W.M. Kengen and Heleen P. Goorissen and Marcel Verhaart and Alfons J.M. Stams and Ed W.J. van Niel and Pieternel A.M. ClaassenPaul W. Gallagher and Hosein Shapouri

Series Preface	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
List of Contributors	p. xiii
1 Biofuels in Perspective	p. 1
1.1 Fossil versus Renewable Energy Resources	p. 1
1.2 Economic Impact	p. 2
1.3 Comparison of Bio-energy Sources	p. 4
1.4 Conclusion	p. 7
References	p. 7
2 Sustainable Production of Cellulosic Feedstock for Biorefineries in the USA	p. 9
2.1 Introduction	p. 9
2.2 Availability of Cellulosic Feedstocks	p. 11
2.3 Feedstock Options	p. 13
2.4 Sustainable Removal	p. 16
2.5 Erosion Control	p. 18
2.6 Tilling Practice	p. 19
2.7 Transitioning to No-till	p. 21
2.8 Realizing Removal	p. 22
2.9 Removal Economics	p. 25
2.10 Climate Change Mitigation	p. 27
2.11 Pretreatment	p. 29
2.12 Farmer in Value Chain	p. 32
2.13 The Start: Preprocessing Pentose Sugars and Lignin	p. 32
2.14 Continuing Downstream: Fungible Fermentation Sugars	p. 32
2.15 Looking Upstream	p. 33
2.16 Logistics	p. 33
2.17 Conclusions	p. 33
2.18 Policy Recommendations	p. 34
References	p. 35
3 Bio-Ethanol Development in the USA	p. 39
3.1 Introduction	p. 39
3.2 Federal Policy	p. 40
3.3 The US Ethanol Market	p. 41
3.4 Corn Ethanol Technology	p. 46
3.5 Cellulosic Ethanol	p. 49
3.6 The Future	p. 52
References	p. 53
4 Bio-Ethanol Development(s) in Brazil	p. 55
4.1 Overview	p. 55
4.2 Introduction	p. 56
4.3 The Brazilian Experience with Ethanol	p. 56
4.4 Policy and Regulatory Instruments Applied to Deploy Large-Scale Ethanol Production	p. 59
4.5 Cost Reductions	p. 61
4.6 Technological Development	p. 62
4.7 Is the Ethanol Production in Brazil Sustainable?	p. 65
4.8 Is the Brazilian Experience Replicable?	p. 72
4.9 Conclusions	p. 73
References	p. 74
5 Process Technologies for Biodiesel Production	p. 77
5.1 Introduction	p. 77
5.2 Biodiesel Production Worldwide	p. 77
5.3 Feedstocks for Biodiesel Production	p. 79
5.4 Chemical Principles of Biodiesel Production	p. 80
5.5 Catalysts for Transesterification and Esterification Reactions	p. 81
5.6 Transesterification in Supercritical Alcohols	p. 86
5.7 Alternative Approaches	p. 87
5.8 Overview of Process Technologies	p. 87
References	p. 91
6 Bio-based Fischer-Tropsch Diesel Production Technologies	p. 95
6.1 Introduction	p. 95
6.2 Theoretical Background Catalytic FT-Diesel Synthesis Process	p. 96
6.3 Biomass Gasification-Based FT-Diesel Production Concepts	p. 100
6.4 Economics of Biomass-Based FT-Diesel Production Concepts	p. 110
6.5 Conclusions	p. 113
References	p. 114
7 Plant Oil Biofuel: Rationale, Production and Application	p. 117
7.1 Introduction	p. 117
7.2 Plant Oil Biofuels: the Underlying Idea	p. 118
7.3 Perspectives of the Plant Oil Fuel Market	p. 119
7.4 System Requirements	p. 122
7.5 Plant Oil Conversion Technology	p. 124
7.6 The User Perspective	p. 125
References	p. 127
8 Enzymatic Production of Biodiesel	p. 129
8.1 Introduction	p. 129
8.2 Enzymatic Transesterification by Lipase	p. 130
8.3 Use of Extracellular Lipases	p. 131
8.4 Use of Intracellular Lipase as Whole-Cell Biocatalyst	p. 136
8.5 Use of Cell-Surface Displaying Cells as Whole-Cell Biocatalyst	p. 143
8.6 Conclusions and Future Prospects	p. 147
References	p. 147
9 Production of Biodiesel from Waste Lipids	p. 153
9.1 Introduction	p. 153
9.2 Alternative Resources for Biodiesel Production	p. 155
9.3 Conversion of Waste Frying and Cooking Oils into Biodiesel	p. 155
9.4 Conclusion	p. 168
References	p. 169
10 Biomass Digestion to Methane in Agriculture: A Successful Pathway for the Energy Production and Waste Treatment Worldwide	p. 171
10.1 Overview	p. 171
10.2 Introduction	p. 172
10.3 Biogas Production Potential	p. 174
10.4 Biogas Production Configurations	p. 183
10.5 Outlook	p. 191
10.6 Conclusions	p. 193
References	p. 194
11 Biological Hydrogen Production by Anaerobic Microorganisms	p. 197
Abbreviations	p. 197
11.1 Introduction	p. 198
11.2 Hydrogen Formation in Natural Ecosystems	p. 198
11.3 Thermodynamics of Hydrogen Formation	p. 199
11.4 Enzymology	p. 204
11.5 Enterobacteria	p. 206
11.6 The Genus Clostridium	p. 207
11.7 The Genus Caldicellulosiruptor	p. 208
11.8 The Genus Thermoanaerobacter	p. 210
11.9 The Genus Thermotoga	p. 211
11.10 The Genus Pyrococcus/Thermococcus	p. 212
11.11 Approaches for Improving Hydrogen Production	p. 213
11.12 Concluding Remarks	p. 214
References	p. 215
12 Improving Sustainability of the Corn-Ethanol Industry	p. 223
12.1 Introduction	p. 223
12.2 Energy Balance	p. 224
12.3 Crop Production and Greenhouse Gas Emissions	p. 226
12.4 CO 2 Adjustment in a Changing Ethanol Industry	p. 228
12.5 Conclusions	p. 232
References	p. 233
Index	p. 235

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