Sets the stage for the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly fuels, chemicals, and materials

Taking millions of years to form, fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources; it is estimated that they will be depleted by the end of this century. Moreover, the production and use of fossil fuels have resulted in considerable environmental harm. The generation of environmentally friendly energy from renewable sources such as biomass is therefore essential. This book focuses on the integration of green chemistry concepts into biomass processes and conversion in order to take full advantage of the potential of biomass to replace nonsustainable resources and meet global needs for fuel as well as other chemicals and materials.

The Role of Green Chemistry in Biomass Processing and Conversion features contributions from leading experts from Asia, Europe, and North America. Focusing on lignocellulosic biomass, the most abundant biomass resource, the book begins with a general introduction to biomass and biorefineries and then provides an update on the latest advances in green chemistry that support biomass processing and conversion. Next, the authors describe current and emerging biomass processing and conversion techniques that use green chemistry technologies, including:

• Green solvents such as ionic liquids, supercritical CO2, and water
• Sustainable energy sources such as microwave irradiation and sonification
• Green catalytic technologies
• Advanced membrane separation technologies

The last chapter of the book explores the ecotoxicological and environmental effects of converting and using fuels, chemicals, and materials from biomass.

Recommended for professionals and students in chemical engineering, green chemistry, and energy and fuels, The Role of Green Chemistry in Biomass Processing and Conversion sets a strong foundation for the development of a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy.

This monograph includes a Foreword by James Clark (University of York, UK).

Content:
Chapter 1 Introduction of Biomass and Biorefineries (pages 1–26): Birgit Kamm
Chapter 2 Recent Advances in Green Chemistry (pages 27–73): Nicholas Gathergood
Chapter 3 Biorefinery with Ionic Liquids (pages 75–133): Haibo Xie, Wujun Liu, Ian Beadham and Nicholas Gathergood
Chapter 4 Biorefinery with Water (pages 135–180): Philip Ye, Leming Cheng, Haile Ma, Biljana Bujanovic, Mangesh J. Goundalkar and Thomas E. Amidon
Chapter 5 Supercritical CO2 as an Environmentally Benign Medium for Biorefinery (pages 181–204): Ray Marriott and Emily Sin
Chapter 6 Dissolution and Application of Cellulose in NaOH/Urea Aqueous Solution (pages 205–240): Xiaopeng Xiong and Jiangjiang Duan
Chapter 7 Organosolv Biorefining Platform for Producing Chemicals, Fuels, and Materials from Lignocellulose (pages 241–262): Xuejun Pan
Chapter 8 Pyrolysis Oils from Biomass and Their Upgrading (pages 263–280): Qirong Fu, Haibo Xie and Dimitris S. Argyropoulos
Chapter 9 Microwave Technology for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery (pages 281–291): Takashi Watanabe and Tomohiko Mitani
Chapter 10 Biorefinery with Microbes (pages 293–311): Cuimin Hu and Zongbao K. Zhao
Chapter 11 Heterogeneous Catalysts for Biomass Conversion (pages 313–348): Aiqin Wang, Changzhi Li, Mingyuan Zheng and Tao Zhang
Chapter 12 Catalytic Conversion of Glycerol (pages 349–373): Jie Xu, Weiqiang Yu, Hong Ma, Feng Wang, Fang Lu, Mukund Ghavre and Nicholas Gathergood
Chapter 13 Ultrasonics for Enhanced Fluid Biofuel Production (pages 375–405): David Grewell and Melissa Montalbo?Lomboy
Chapter 14 Advanced Membrane Technology for Products Separation in Biorefinery (pages 407–433): Shenghai Li, Suobo Zhang and Weihui Bi
Chapter 15 Assessment of the Ecotoxicological and Environmental Effects of Biorefineries (pages 435–467): Kerstin Bluhm, Sebastian Heger, Matthew T. Agler, Sibylle Maletz, Andreas Schaffer, Thomas?Benjamin Seiler, Largus T. Angenent and Henner Hollert