Biofuels: Meeting the Energy and Environmental Challenges of the Transportation Sector

Changes in the world energy context, the increasing awareness of the environmental stakes, and the development of research on the production of second- and third-generation biofuels revealed a clear need to write a new book that updates and complements all technical, financial, and environmental aspects of Les Biocarburants” État des lieux, perspectives et enjeux du développement (Biofuels”Current status, outlook and development stakes) published in 2006. This book provides a detailed state-of-the-art discussion of the first-generation biofuel production technologies. It describes the new second-generation pathways that use lignocellulosic biomass as raw material and are starting to find industrial applications, thereby reducing the competition between the food resource and the use of agricultural materials for energy purposes. It also provides a technical update on the algae-to-energy pathway (third generation) and the production of methane and hydrogen by biochemical pathways. The book is intended for transport companies, refiners, forestry companies, the agricultural and agribusiness sectors, as well as the public authorities, students, university teachers, and researchers.