Providing comprehensive coverage on biofuel crop production and the technological, environmental and resource issues associated with a sustainable biofuel industry, this book is ideal for researchers and industry personnel. Beginning with an introduction to biofuels and the challenges they face, the book then includes detailed coverage on crops of current importance or with high future prospects, including sections on algae, sugar crops and grass, oil and forestry species. The chapters focus on the genetics, breeding, cultivation, harvesting and handling of each crop.

Biofuel Crop Sustainability brings together the basic principles of agricultural sustainability and special stipulations for biofuels, from the economic and ecological opportunities and challenges of sustainable biofuel crop production to the unique characteristics of particular crops which make them ideal for biofuel applications. This book will be a valuable resource for researchers and professionals involved in biofuels development and production as well as agriculture industry personnel. Chapters focus the broad principles of resource management for ecological, environmental and societal welfare, the sustainability issues pertaining to several broad categories of biofuel crops , as well as the economics and profitability of biofuels on both a local and international scale. Coverage includes topics such as utilizing waste water for field crop irrigation and algae production, reliability of feedstock supply, marginal lands, and identifying crops with traits of significance for survival and growth on low fertility soils. The development of production practices with low external inputs of fertilizer, irrigation, and pesticides is also covered. Biofuel Crop Sustainability will be a valuable, up-to-date reference for all those involved in the rapidly expanding biofuels industry and sustainable agriculture research fields.

Global concern for energy security and environmental protection has put great emphasis on the search for alternative energy sources, particularly for the transport sector. Biofuels have emerged as a highly promising source of alternative energy, and have drawn global research and development for their production using biomass. With the increasing worldwide demand for energy, along with the depletion of conventional fossil fuel reserves, there has been growing global interest in developing alternative sources of energy. There has also been concern in growing economies regarding energy security. Biofuels offer much promise on these frontiers. In addition to these factors, they also have a reduced environmental impact in comparison to fossil fuels. Biofuels from Microbes and Plants provides state-of-the-art information on the status of biofuel production and related aspects. Academics, researchers, engineers, and technologists will develop a greater understanding of the relevant concepts and solutions to the global issues related to achieving alternative energy applications for future energy security, as well as environmental sustainability in medium- and large-scale industries. Key Features Detailed overview of the alternative energy field and the role of biofuels as new energy sources Detailed accounts of the production of biodiesel from non-conventional bio-feedstocks such as algae, microbes, and vegetable oils Recent updates about biotechnological improvements of plant and microbial sources for biofuel production

This book employs a political ecology lens to unravel how industrial crops catalyse ecological, agrarian, socioeconomic, and institutional transformation. Using the conceptual tools and perspectives of political ecology, namely multi-scalar analysis and attention to marginalisation, social difference, and discourses and narratives, this volume provides a critical and comprehensive assessment of the transformative power of industrial cropping systems. It presents a truly international overview by drawing on a range of case studies from the global South, including soybeans in South America, cashew nuts in Guinea Bissau, cotton in India, maize in China, jatropha in Ghana, sugarcane in Peru and Eswatini, and oil palm in Ghana and Peru. The unique case studies are put into perspective with chapters introducing the key concepts of political ecology and critical dimensions of industrial cropping systems related to large-scale land acquisitions, land grabbing, and marginal land. The individual chapters employ different approaches all rooted in political ecology, thus offering a rich overview of how the field engages with such cropping systems. Overall, this volume contains valuable propositions for improving current policies and practices in industrial crop settings in both developed and developing countries. Through its comprehensive and interdisciplinary outlook, this volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of political ecology, agrarian studies, development studies, and ecological economics.

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.

From its humble beginning in the late 19th century―when Henry Ford’s first car was designed to run on ethanol―biofuel production has been on the rise with more than 26 billion liters produced in the U.S. in 2007. Ethanol made from biomass (rather than grains) holds great promise, including numerous economic and environmental benefits. However, the adverse interactions of energy, climate, food, and soil quality cannot be ignored. In eight concise chapters, Soil Quality and Biofuel Production presents a state-of-the-knowledge review of soil properties and processes negatively impacted by crop residue removal. It outlines the ecological consequences of biofuels and evaluates land use in the production of raw material for biofuel. The book then spotlights pressing issues related to corn and cellulosic ethanol and also soil erosion. It offers advice for achieving economic balance in the competition for arable land between food and biofuel along with residue harvest management techniques. A thought-provoking discussion of the opportunities and challenges that biofuel presents rounds out the book’s coverage. The logistics of producing biomass in a sustainable manner remain a major challenge and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Serious questions linger concerning viable sources of biofuel feedstock, competition for resources needed to produce biomass, and energy output/input ratios. Soil Quality and Biofuel Production provides environmental scientists and agricultural engineers with the knowledge they need to address them.

What do economists know about land-and how they know? The Oxford Handbook of Land Economics describes the latest developments in the fields of economics that examine land, including natural resource economics, environmental economics, regional science, and urban economics. The handbook argues, first, that land is a theme that integrates these fields and second, that productive integration increasingly occurs not just within economics but also across disciplines. Greater recognition and integration stimulates cross-fertilization among the fields of land economics research. By providing a comprehensive survey of land-related work in several economics fields, this handbook provides the basic tools needed for economists to redefine the scope and focus of their work to better incorporate the contemporary thinking from other fields and to push out the frontiers of land economics. The first section presents recent advances in the analysis of major drivers of land use change, focusing on economic development and various land-use markets. The second section presents economic research on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of land use and land use change. The third section addresses six cutting-edge approaches for land economics research, including spatial econometric, simulation, and experimental methods. The section also includes a synthetic chapter critically reviewing methodological advances. The fourth section covers policy issues. Four chapters disentangle the economics of land conservation and preservation, while three chapters examine the economic analysis of the legal institutions of land use. These chapters focus on law and economic problems of permissible government control of land in the U.S. context.

This volume is the second of the new two-volume Plant Biotechnology set. This volume covers many recent advances in the development of transgenic plants that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alternative energy strategies, microbial biofertilizers and biopesticides, and disease diagnostics through plant biotechnology. With the advancements in plant biotechnology, many of the customary approaches are out of date, and an understanding of new updated approaches is needed. This volume presents information related to recent methods of genetic transformation, gene silencing, development of transgenic crops, biosafety issues, microbial biotechnology, oxidative stress, and plant disease diagnostics and management. Key features: Provides an in-depth knowledge of various techniques of genetic transformation of plants, chloroplast, and fungus Describes advances in gene silencing in plants Discusses transgenic plants for various traits and their application in crop improvement Looks at genetically modified foods and biodiesel production Describes biotechnological approaches in horticultural and ornamental plants Explores the biosafety aspect associated with transgenic crops Considers the role of microbes in sustainable agriculture

Sustainability in Biofuel Production Technology Explore current challenges and the latest technologies in biofuel production In Sustainability in Biofuel Production Technology, a team of engineers and chemists delivers a thorough and accessible exploration of the source of renewable energy biofuels poised to help conserve natural resources and limit the impact of fossil fuel use. The book offers detailed information about the challenges and trends in biodiesel production and includes contributions from leading researchers in the field of biodiesel production. Readers will explore aviation biofuels, biofuel production technologies, reactor design and safety considerations, and the modelling and simulation of biofuel production as they move through the book’s 14 chapters. The authors also analyze the performance of biofuels along with cost estimations and mathematical modeling of various process parameters. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to biofuels, including their history, generation, classification, and relevant technologies In-depth presentations of the production technologies of biofuels, including chemical and biological production processes Comprehensive explorations of the utilization of biofuels in aviation, including performance analyses and safety considerations Fulsome discussions of key issues and challenges in biofuels production pathways and the environmental effects of biofuels Perfect for academic researchers and industrial scientists working in the biofuels, bioenergy, catalysis, and materials science sectors, Sustainability in Biofuel Production Technology will also be suitable for members of regulatory bodies in the bioenergy sector.