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Biomass Conversion – the Interface of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Materials Science
Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2015) 1
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro
Book review Biomass Conversion e the Interface of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Materials Science, Baskar, et al.. Springer (2012). 465 pp., Price $229, ISBN: 978-3-642-28418-2 Concerning a cascading material use of biomass, it is important to know the quality characteristics that reused biomass should possess to be suitable for final energetic use. Additionally, potential treatments that enhance the final energetic capability of biomass are of great interest (see e.g., Banerjee et al., 2010; Hendriks and Zeeman, 2009). It is essential to be aware of how an energetic usage of biomass finally occurs. In their book Biomass Conversion e The Interface of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Materials Science, Springer (2012), p. 465, price: 229 $, Baskar et al. present several technologies for biomass preparation, material use (chemicals) and energetic use (primarily biofuels). The book is an edition of 14 peer-reviewed chapters. Each chapter is written by different authors, mostly from Asia, but also from Europe and Northern America. The authors are professionals from academia or governmental institutions and have diverse scientific backgrounds, e.g., engineering, forestry, biology and agricultural sciences. The first two chapters provide a general overview of different options for the use of biomass within the fields of energy provision and material use. Because biomass can be converted into three main products, i.e., energy, biofuels and fine chemicals, using a number of different processes, different types of substrates and important characteristics for biomass as feedstock are explained. Within the following two chapters, technologies that make use of lignocellulose to generate bioenergy are illustrated. Furthermore, how chemical pre-treatment can be used to enhance conversion performance is shown. In another chapter, different types of catalysts for thermochemical conversion of biomass are presented. Three chapters focus on biofuels. They describe potential processes to derive biofuels from fatty acids, the advantages of biobutanol compared with other biofuels as well as the suitability of different substrates that can be used in the generation process. Additionally, the production of biofuels using food waste as substrate is discussed. In another chapter, two technologies for the generation of hydrogen from biomass as alternatives to biofuels are presented. Because biomass potential is limited, one chapter discusses approaches to solve this problem, in particular through genetically modified plants. Two chapters address the production of chemicals from biomass. Technologies that use ethanol, organic acids or other organic solvents for lignocellulose fractionation, which is transformed into chemicals, are illustrated. Furthermore, the potential for producing chemicals from lignin is discussed, which is especially interesting concerning cascade utilization. The last two
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.120 0959-6526
chapters are about two innovative technologies. One is the liquefaction of wood in supercritical methanol, and the other is a concept named bioextraction, which uses the growth of plants to extract contaminants from soil. Because the book is an edition of different articles, each chapter can be read separately. Accordingly, the fourteen chapters diverge with respect to structure, style and number of pages. Some of the chapters, e.g., chapter four, Application of Ionic Liquids in the Conversion of Native Lignocellulosic Biomass to Biofuels, are written rather technically and may be primarily interesting for readers with an engineering or nature-scientific background; however, the figures and tables are often presented for a better illustration of the underlying concepts, e.g., technical processes. Each chapter offers a variety of references, which is helpful for finding additional literature with respect to the corresponding topic. Additionally, an index is provided at the end of the book. However, since several chapters describe potential technologies for biomass conversion, one must consider that the timeliness of the content depends on technological progress. The book can be a useful source for scientists, PhD students and professionals who are working on the use of biomass for material and energetic usage. It offers not only a comprehensive overview over existing bioenergy concepts, but also discusses potential technologies to enhance the final energetic capability of biomass, e.g., chemical pre-treatment, in a detailed way. Additionally, it can be used by students seeking information concerning biomass conversion. Because many figures and references are provided, it is also a valuable reference for data collection or can serve as starting point for further literature research. However, a chapter explicitly dealing with sustainability issues of biomass conversion would have been interesting.
References Banerjee, S., Mudliar, S., Sen, R., Giri, B., Satpute, D., Chakrabarti, T., Pandey, R.A., 2010. Commercializing lignocellulosic bioethanol: technology bottlenecks and possible remedies. Biofuels Bioprod. Biorefin. 4, 77e93. Hendriks, A.T.W.M., Zeeman, G., 2009. Pretreatments to enhance the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass. Bioresour. Technol. 100, 10e18.
Nils Lerche €ttingen, Faculty of Economic Science, Chair of University of Go Production and Logistics, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]. 28 May 2015 Available online xxx
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro
Book review Biomass Conversion e the Interface of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Materials Science, Baskar, et al.. Springer (2012). 465 pp., Price $229, ISBN: 978-3-642-28418-2 Concerning a cascading material use of biomass, it is important to know the quality characteristics that reused biomass should possess to be suitable for final energetic use. Additionally, potential treatments that enhance the final energetic capability of biomass are of great interest (see e.g., Banerjee et al., 2010; Hendriks and Zeeman, 2009). It is essential to be aware of how an energetic usage of biomass finally occurs. In their book Biomass Conversion e The Interface of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Materials Science, Springer (2012), p. 465, price: 229 $, Baskar et al. present several technologies for biomass preparation, material use (chemicals) and energetic use (primarily biofuels). The book is an edition of 14 peer-reviewed chapters. Each chapter is written by different authors, mostly from Asia, but also from Europe and Northern America. The authors are professionals from academia or governmental institutions and have diverse scientific backgrounds, e.g., engineering, forestry, biology and agricultural sciences. The first two chapters provide a general overview of different options for the use of biomass within the fields of energy provision and material use. Because biomass can be converted into three main products, i.e., energy, biofuels and fine chemicals, using a number of different processes, different types of substrates and important characteristics for biomass as feedstock are explained. Within the following two chapters, technologies that make use of lignocellulose to generate bioenergy are illustrated. Furthermore, how chemical pre-treatment can be used to enhance conversion performance is shown. In another chapter, different types of catalysts for thermochemical conversion of biomass are presented. Three chapters focus on biofuels. They describe potential processes to derive biofuels from fatty acids, the advantages of biobutanol compared with other biofuels as well as the suitability of different substrates that can be used in the generation process. Additionally, the production of biofuels using food waste as substrate is discussed. In another chapter, two technologies for the generation of hydrogen from biomass as alternatives to biofuels are presented. Because biomass potential is limited, one chapter discusses approaches to solve this problem, in particular through genetically modified plants. Two chapters address the production of chemicals from biomass. Technologies that use ethanol, organic acids or other organic solvents for lignocellulose fractionation, which is transformed into chemicals, are illustrated. Furthermore, the potential for producing chemicals from lignin is discussed, which is especially interesting concerning cascade utilization. The last two
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.120 0959-6526
chapters are about two innovative technologies. One is the liquefaction of wood in supercritical methanol, and the other is a concept named bioextraction, which uses the growth of plants to extract contaminants from soil. Because the book is an edition of different articles, each chapter can be read separately. Accordingly, the fourteen chapters diverge with respect to structure, style and number of pages. Some of the chapters, e.g., chapter four, Application of Ionic Liquids in the Conversion of Native Lignocellulosic Biomass to Biofuels, are written rather technically and may be primarily interesting for readers with an engineering or nature-scientific background; however, the figures and tables are often presented for a better illustration of the underlying concepts, e.g., technical processes. Each chapter offers a variety of references, which is helpful for finding additional literature with respect to the corresponding topic. Additionally, an index is provided at the end of the book. However, since several chapters describe potential technologies for biomass conversion, one must consider that the timeliness of the content depends on technological progress. The book can be a useful source for scientists, PhD students and professionals who are working on the use of biomass for material and energetic usage. It offers not only a comprehensive overview over existing bioenergy concepts, but also discusses potential technologies to enhance the final energetic capability of biomass, e.g., chemical pre-treatment, in a detailed way. Additionally, it can be used by students seeking information concerning biomass conversion. Because many figures and references are provided, it is also a valuable reference for data collection or can serve as starting point for further literature research. However, a chapter explicitly dealing with sustainability issues of biomass conversion would have been interesting.
References Banerjee, S., Mudliar, S., Sen, R., Giri, B., Satpute, D., Chakrabarti, T., Pandey, R.A., 2010. Commercializing lignocellulosic bioethanol: technology bottlenecks and possible remedies. Biofuels Bioprod. Biorefin. 4, 77e93. Hendriks, A.T.W.M., Zeeman, G., 2009. Pretreatments to enhance the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass. Bioresour. Technol. 100, 10e18.
Nils Lerche €ttingen, Faculty of Economic Science, Chair of University of Go Production and Logistics, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]. 28 May 2015 Available online xxx