The transportation industry is still largely reliant on fossil fuels, whose use and extraction have significant environmental costs. Biofuels produced from renewable resources biomass offer a more sustainable alternative. However, it is important that production methods should be energy efficient and that feedstocks should not compete with food sources. Biofuels that meet these criteria are sometimes referred to as second-generation biofuels.
The new edition of this book provides updates on the three previously discussed non-conventional pathways for second-generation biofuels, including new experimental results and pilot plant studies. It also includes a completely new chapter looking at developments in combining renewable electricity with fuel production and possible future directions for the transportation industry.
It is a useful read for researchers and industrialists working in biofuel development as well as postgraduate students studying fuel alternatives.