Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Foundations of Computer-Aided Process Design


Book Description

This volume collects together the presentations at the Eighth International Conference on Foundations of Computer-Aided Process Design, FOCAPD-2014, an event that brings together researchers, educators, and practitioners to identify new challenges and opportunities for process and product design. The chemical industry is currently entering a new phase of rapid evolution. The availability of low-cost feedstocks from natural gas is causing renewed investment in basic chemicals in the OECD, while societal pressures for sustainability and energy security continue to be key drivers in technology development and product selection. This dynamic environment creates opportunities to launch new products and processes and to demonstrate new methodologies for innovation, synthesis and design. FOCAPD-2014 fosters constructive interaction among thought leaders from academia, industry, and government and provides a showcase for the latest research in product and process design. - Focuses exclusively on the fundamentals and applications of computer-aided design for the process industries. - Provides a fully archival and indexed record of the FOCAPD14 conference - Aligns the FOCAPD series with the ESCAPE and PSE series




26th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering


Book Description

26th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering contains the papers presented at the 26th European Society of Computer-Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE) Event held at Portorož Slovenia, from June 12th to June 15th, 2016. Themes discussed at the conference include Process-product Synthesis, Design and Integration, Modelling, Numerical analysis, Simulation and Optimization, Process Operations and Control and Education in CAPE/PSE. Presents findings and discussions from the 26th European Society of Computer-Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE) Event




Switchgrass


Book Description

The demand for renewable energies from biomass is growing steadily as policies are enacted to encourage such development and as industry increasingly sees an opportunity to develop bio-energy enterprises. Recent policy changes in the EU, USA and other countries are spurring interest in the cultivation of energy crops such as switchgrass. Switchgrass has gained and early lead in the race to find a biomass feedstock for energy production (and for the almost requisite need for bio-based products from such feedstocks). Switchgrass: A Valuable Biomass Crop for Energy provides a comprehensive guide to the biology, physiology, breeding, culture and conversion of switchgrass as well as highlighting various environmental, economic and social benefits. Considering this potential energy source, Switchgrass: A Valuable Biomass Crop for Energy brings together chapters from a range of experts in the field, including a foreword from Kenneth P. Vogel, to collect and present the environmental benefits and characteristics of this a crop with the potential to mitigate the risks of global warming by replacing fossil fuels. Including clear figures and tables to support discussions, Switchgrass: A Valuable Biomass Crop for Energy provides a solid reference for anyone with interest or investment in the development of bioenergy; researchers, policy makers and stakeholders will find this a key resource.




Environmental Economics and Natural Resource Management


Book Description

The tools of environmental economics guide policymakers as they weigh development against nature, present against future, and certain benefits against uncertain consequences. The policies and research findings explained in this textbook are relevant to decisions made daily by individuals, firms, and governments. This textbook offers instructors and students a user-friendly, relevant, and up-to-date introduction to these topics while covering recent advancements in the field and significant political and economic changes. The fifth edition has been thoroughly updated while retaining the story-based narratives and visual emphasis of previous editions, capturing students’ attention with full-color photos, graphs, and illustrations. It addresses the impact of changes in world leaders, national priorities, and international agreements along with key developments in the energy sector. These include the way hydraulic fracturing and the surging popularity of natural gas have revolutionized the fossil fuel industries; how new, green-energy technologies are bringing prices down and efficiency levels up; and the arrival of innovative energy sources such as ocean-thermal energy conversion. Environmental Economics and Natural Resource Management promotes environmental and economic literacy with policy-oriented, application-based content, all delivered in concise, accessible discussions. Through its engaging approach, the text brings the economic way of thinking into discussions of personal, community, corporate, and government activities that affect environmental assets and the quality of life.




Alternative Energy Sources and Technologies


Book Description

Presenting a comprehensive analysis of the use of alternative sources of energy and technologies to produce fuels and power, this book describes the energy value chain from harvesting the raw material, (i.e solar, wind, biomass or shale gas) followed by analysis of the processing steps into power, fuels and/or chemicals and finally the distribution of the products. Featuring an examination of the techno-economic processes and integration opportunities which can add value to by-products or promote the use of different sources of energy within the same facility, this book looks at the tools that can make this integration possible as well as utilising a real world case study. The case study of the operation of “El hierro” island is used as an example of the current effort towards more efficient use of the resources available. Tackling head on the open challenges of the supply, the variability of the source and its prediction, the description of novel processes that are being developed and evaluated for their transformation as well as how we can distribute them to the consumer and how we can integrate the new chemicals, fuels and power within the current system and infrastructure, the book takes a process based perspective with such an approach able to help us in the use and integration of these sources of energy and novel technologies.




Renewable Energy Resources


Book Description

"This second edition maintains the book's basis on fundamentals, whilst including experience gained from the rapid growth of renewable energy technologies as secure national resources and for climate change mitigation, more extensively illustrated with case studies and worked problems. The presentation has been improved throughout, along with a new chapter on economics and institutional factors. Each chapter begins with fundamental theory from a scientific perspective, then considers applied engineering examples and developments, and includes a set of problems and solutions and a bibliography of printed and web-based material for further study. Common symbols and cross referencing apply throughout, essential data are tabulated in appendices. Sections on social and environmental aspects have been added to each technology chapter." -- back cover.




Renewable Fuel Standard


Book Description

In the United States, we have come to depend on plentiful and inexpensive energy to support our economy and lifestyles. In recent years, many questions have been raised regarding the sustainability of our current pattern of high consumption of nonrenewable energy and its environmental consequences. Further, because the United States imports about 55 percent of the nation's consumption of crude oil, there are additional concerns about the security of supply. Hence, efforts are being made to find alternatives to our current pathway, including greater energy efficiency and use of energy sources that could lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as nuclear and renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. The United States has a long history with biofuels and the nation is on a course charted to achieve a substantial increase in biofuels. Renewable Fuel Standard evaluates the economic and environmental consequences of increasing biofuels production as a result of Renewable Fuels Standard, as amended by EISA (RFS2). The report describes biofuels produced in 2010 and those projected to be produced and consumed by 2022, reviews model projections and other estimates of the relative impact on the prices of land, and discusses the potential environmental harm and benefits of biofuels production and the barriers to achieving the RFS2 consumption mandate. Policy makers, investors, leaders in the transportation sector, and others with concerns for the environment, economy, and energy security can rely on the recommendations provided in this report.




Biofuel Cropping Systems


Book Description

Choosing appropriate practices and policies for biofuel production requires an understanding of how soils, climate, farm types, infrastructure, markets and social organisation affect the establishment and performance of these crops. The book highlights land use dynamics, cultivation practices related to conversion and wider impacts. It explores how biofuel production chain development is steered by emerging technologies and management practices and how both can be influenced by effective policies designed to encourage sustainable biofuel production. The book highlights major biofuel production chains including: cane cultivation in Brazil corn ethanol in the USA wheat and rapeseed in Europe oil palm in the Far East cane in Asia and Africa SRC and other lignocellulosic crops. In each case the development, cropping systems and impacts are discussed, system dynamics are shown and lessons drawn for the way things could or should change. Biofuel Cropping Systems is a vital resource for all those who want to understand the way biofuels are produced and how they impact other elements of society and especially how improvements can be made. It is a handbook for students, biofuel producers, researchers and policymakers in energy and agriculture.




Sustainable Biorefining of Woody Biomass to Biofuels and Biochemicals


Book Description

Sustainable Biorefining of Woody Biomass to Biofuels and Biochemicals explores various technologies and pathways for the valorization of woody biomass to produce sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. Focusing on commercialization, the book discusses woody biomass availability, including harvesting, transportation and storage, biomass structure, advanced biorefinery technologies, and the economic and environmental sustainability of woody biomass-based biorefineries. Various technologies are described and assessed from a commercial perspective and practical solutions to the latest challenges are provided. The last section of the book is dedicated to the commercialization aspects of biorefineries, providing details about the techno-economic viability and environmental impact of various biorefinery approaches.This book provides readers with a unique and comprehensive reference that will help students and researchers alike identify and overcome the challenges involved in woody-biomass biorefining for biofuels and biochemicals. It will also be of interest to researchers and professionals involved more broadly in bioenergy and renewable energy, and interdisciplinary teams working across biotechnology, chemistry and chemical engineering, environmental science, and plant sciences. - Presents the fundamental theory and technological details behind woody biomass fractionation in biorefineries, its structure and challenges in its valorization - Focuses on the commercialization aspects of biofuels from woody biomass-based biorefineries - Provides an analysis of the techno-economic viability and environmental impact of various biorefinery approaches - Discusses related policies and regulations




The Intended and Unintended Effects of U.S. Agricultural and Biotechnology Policies


Book Description

Using economic models and empirical analysis, this volume examines a wide range of agricultural and biofuel policy issues and their effects on American agricultural and related agrarian insurance markets. Beginning with a look at the distribution of funds by insurance programs—created to support farmers but often benefiting crop processors instead—the book then examines the demand for biofuel and the effects of biofuel policies on agricultural price uncertainty. Also discussed are genetically engineered crops, which are assuming an increasingly important role in arbitrating tensions between energy production, environmental protection, and the global food supply. Other contributions discuss the major effects of genetic engineering on worldwide food markets. By addressing some of the most challenging topics at the intersection of agriculture and biotechnology, this volume informs crucial debates.