In response to the global increase in the use of biofuels as substitute transportation fuels, advanced chemical, biochemical and thermochemical biofuels production routes are fast being developed. Research and development in this field is aimed at improving the quality and environmental impact of biofuels production, as well as the overall efficiency and output of biofuels production plants. The range of biofuels has also increased to supplement bioethanol and biodiesel production, with market developments leading to the increased production and utilisation of such biofuels as biosyngas, biohydrogen and biobutanol, among others. Handbook of biofuels production provides a comprehensive and systematic reference on the range of biomass conversion processes and technology. Part one reviews the key issues in the biofuels production chain, including feedstocks, sustainability assessment and policy development. Part two reviews chemical and biochemical conversion and in turn Part three reviews thermal and thermo-chemical conversion, with both sections detailing the wide range of processes and technologies applicable to the production of first, second and third generation biofuels. Finally, Part four reviews developments in the integration of biofuels production, including biorefineries and by-product valorisation, as well as the utilisation of biofuels in diesel engines. With its distinguished international team of contributors, Handbook of biofuels production is a standard reference for biofuels production engineers, industrial chemists and biochemists, plant scientists, academics and researchers in this area.

This publication provides an introduction to bulk storage facilities for petroleum fuels.

What happens when natural gas drilling moves into an urban area: how communities in North Texas responded to the environmental and health threats of fracking. When natural gas drilling moves into an urban or a suburban neighborhood, a two-hundred-foot-high drill appears on the other side of a back yard fence and diesel trucks clog a quiet two-lane residential street. Children seem to be having more than the usual number of nosebleeds. There are so many local cases of cancer that the elementary school starts a cancer support group. In this book, Jessica Smartt Gullion examines what happens when natural gas extraction by means of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," takes place not on wide-open rural land but in a densely populated area with homes, schools, hospitals, parks, and businesses. Gullion focuses on fracking in the Barnett Shale, the natural-gas-rich geological formation under the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. She gives voice to the residents-for the most part educated, middle class, and politically conservative-who became reluctant anti-drilling activists in response to perceived environmental and health threats posed by fracking. Gullion offers an overview of oil and gas development and describes the fossil-fuel culture of Texas, the process of fracking, related health concerns, and regulatory issues (including the notorious "Halliburton loophole"). She chronicles the experiences of community activists as they fight to be heard and to get the facts about the safety of fracking. Touted as a greener alternative and a means to reduce dependence on foreign oil, natural gas development is an important part of American energy policy. Yet, as this book shows, it comes at a cost to the local communities who bear the health and environmental burdens.

Hydrogen is one of the most promising next-generation fuels. It has the highest energy content per unit weight of any known fuel and in comparison to the other known natural gases it is environmentally safe - in fact, its combustion results only in water vapour and energy. This book provides an overview of worldwide research in the use of hydrogen in energy development, its most innovative methods of production and the various steps necessary for the optimization of this product. Topics covered include structured catalysts for process intensification in hydrogen production by reforming processes; bimetallic supported catalysts for hydrocarbons and alcohols reforming reactions; catalysts for hydrogen production from renewable raw materials, by-products and waste; Ni and Cu-based catalysts for methanol and ethanol reforming; transition metal catalysts for hydrogen production by low temperature steam reforming of methane; supercritical water gasification of biomass to produce hydrogen; biofuel starting materials for hydrogen production; modelling of fixed bed membrane reactors for ultrapure hydrogen production; hydrogen production using micro membrane reactors; perovskite membrane reactors; polymeric membrane materials for hydrogen separation; industrial membranes for hydrogen separation; multifunctional hybrid sorption-enhanced membrane reactors; carbon based membranes; and separation of hydrogen isotopes by cryogenic distillation. Hydrogen Production, Separation and Purification for Energy is essential reading for researchers in academia and industry working in energy engineering.