This book focuses on the different kinds of biofuels and biofuel resources. Biofuels represent a major type of renewable energy. As part of a larger bio-economy, they are closely linked to agriculture, forestry and manufacturing. Biofuels have the potential to improve regional energy access, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and contribute to climate protection. Further, this alternative form of energy could revitalize the forestry and agricultural sector and promote the increased use of renewable resources as raw materials in a range of industrial processes. Efforts are continuously being made to develop economically competitive biofuels, and microbes play important roles in the production of biofuels from various bioresources. This book elaborates on recent advances in existing microbial technologies and on sustainable approaches to improving biofuel production processes. Additionally, it examines trends in, and the limitations of, existing processes and technologies. The book offers a comprehensive overview of microbial bioresources, microbial technologies, advances in bioconversion and biorefineries, as well as microbial and metabolic engineering for efficient biofuel production. Readers will also learn about the environmental impacts and the influence of climate change on the sustainability of biofuel production. This book is intended for researchers and students whose work involves biorefinery technologies, microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, environmental biology and related fields.

Biofuels production is one of the most extensively studied fields in the energy sector that can provide an alternative energy source and bring the energy industry closer to sustainability. Biomass-based fuel production, or renewable fuels, are becoming increasingly important as a potential solution for man-made climate change, depleted oil reserves, and the dangers involved with hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”). The price of oil will always be volatile and changeable, and, as long as industry and private citizens around the world need energy, there will be a need for alternative energy sources. The area known as “biofuels and biofeedstocks” is one of the most important and quickly growing pieces of the “energy pie.” But biofuels and biofeedstocks are constantly changing, and new processes are constantly being created, changed, and improved upon. The area is rapidly changing and always innovative. It is important, therefore, that books like the volumes in this series are published and the information widely disseminated to keep the industry informed of the state-of-the-art. This second volume in the Advances in Biofeedstocks and Biofuels series focuses on the production of biofuel, covering all of the major biofuels, such as biodiesel, biohydrogen, bioethanol, and others. This engaging text touches on all of the most important new processes and technologies, providing the most up-to-date coverage of the science available to industry. It is a must-have for any engineer or scientist working with biofuel technology.

Concerns over dwindling fossil fuel reserves and impending climate changes have focused attention worldwide on the need to discover alternative, sustainable energy sources and fuels. Biofuels, already produced on a massive industrial scale, are seen as one answer to these problems. However, very real concerns over the effects of biofuel production on food supplies, with some of ht recent increases in worldwide food costs attributable to biofuel production, have lead to the realization that new, non-food substrates for biofuel production must be bought online. This book is an authoritative, comprehensive, up-to-date review of the various options under development for the production of advanced biofuels as alternative energy sources. A general overview and introductory chapters for each section place the field in the context as well as provide essential basic notions for the more general reader. Accomplished, internationally recognized experts carrying out research on individual focus areas contribute specific technical chapters detailing present progress and future prospects.

Biofuels production is one of the most extensively studied fields in the energy sector that can provide an alternative energy source and bring the energy industry closer to sustainability. Biomass-based fuel production, or renewable fuels, are becoming increasingly important as a potential solution for man-made climate change, depleted oil reserves, and the dangers involved with hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking"). The price of oil will always be volatile and changeable, and, so long as industry and private citizens around the world need energy, there will be a need for alternative energy sources. The area known as "biofuels and biofeedstocks" is one of the most important and quickly growing pieces of the "energy pie." Biofuels and biofeedstocks are constantly changing, and new processes are constantly being created, changed, and improved upon. The area is rapidly changing and always innovative. It is important, therefore, that books like the volumes in this series are published and the information widely disseminated to keep the industry informed of the state-of-the-art. This third volume in the Advances in Biofeedstocks and Biofuels series focuses on the production of liquid biofuel, covering all of the major biofuels, such as biodiesel, biobutanol, bioethanol, and others. This engaging text touches on all of the most important new processes and technologies, providing the most up-to-date coverage of the science available to industry. It is a must-have for any engineer or scientist working with biofuel technology.

Fungi range from being microscopic, single-celled yeasts to multicellular and heterotrophic in nature. Fungal communities have been found in vast ranges of environmental conditions. They can be associated with plants epiphytically, endophytically, or rhizospherically. Extreme environments represent unique ecosystems that harbor novel biodiversity of fungal communities. Interest in the exploration of fungal diversity has been spurred by the fact that fungi perform numerous functions integral in sustaining the biosphere, ranging from nutrient cycling to environmental detoxification, which involves processes like augmentation, supplementation, and recycling of plant nutrients--a particularly important process in sustainable agriculture. Fungal communities from natural and extreme habitats help promote plant growth, enhance crop yield, and soil fertility via direct or indirect plant growth promoting (PGP) mechanisms of solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanides, phytohormones, Fe-chelating compounds, extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, and bioactive secondary metabolites. These PGP fungi could be used as biofertilizers, bioinoculants, and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in eco-friendly manners for sustainable agriculture and environments. Along with agricultural applications, medically important fungi play significant role for human health. Fungal communities are useful for sustainable environments as they are used for bioremediation which is the use of microorganisms' metabolism to degrading waste contaminants (sewage, domestic, and industrial effluents) into non-toxic or less toxic materials by natural biological processes. Fungi could be used as mycoremediation for the future of environmental sustainability. Fungi and fungal products have the biochemical and ecological capability to degrade environmental organic chemicals and to decrease the risk associated with metals, semi-metals, and noble metals either by chemical modification or by manipulating chemical bioavailability. The two volumes of "Recent Trends in Mycological Research” aim to provide an understanding of fungal communities from diverse environmental habitats and their potential applications in agriculture, medical, environments and industry. The books are useful to scientists, researchers, and students involved in microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

This volume focuses on technological advances relevant to establishing biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil fuels by overcoming current limitations. The progressive depletion of fossil fuels due to their large-scale utilization and their environmental consequences, notably global warming, increase the need for sustainable and cleaner energy options. Renewable biofuels – like biohydrogen, biomethane, biogas, ethanol and butenol – represent attractive energy sources to meet the growing global demand, thanks to sustainable and cost-efficient production approaches based on cellulosic biomass. Currently, the commercialization of these technologies is hindered by technical and economic limitations, such as biomass complexity and pre-treatment, enzyme hydrolysis, production efficiency as well as storage and cost. As such, this book presents economically viable and sustainable approaches to improve existing biofuel technologies and appeals to anyone with an interest in biofuels as renewable energy options and their practical implementation.

Fungi are an understudied, biotechnologically valuable group of organisms. Due to their immense range of habitats, and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi, bacteria, and animals, fungi have developed numerous survival mechanisms. However, besides their major basic positive role in the cycling of minerals, organic matter and mobilizing insoluble nutrients, fungi have other beneficial impacts: they are considered good sources of food and active agents for a number of industrial processes involving fermentation mechanisms as in the bread, wine and beer industry. A number of fungi also produce biologically important metabolites such as enzymes, vitamins, antibiotics and several products of important pharmaceutical use; still others are involved in the production of single cell proteins. The economic value of these marked positive activities has been estimated as approximating to trillions of US dollars. The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application in biotechnology and industry. Since ancient Egyptians mentioned in their medical prescriptions how they can use green molds in curing wounds as the obvious historical uses of penicillin, fungi can be grown with relative ease, making production at scale viable. The search for fungal biodiversity, and the construction of a living fungi collection, both have incredible economic potential in locating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products. Fungi have provided the world with penicillin, lovastatin, and other globally significant medicines, and they remain an untapped resource with enormous industrial potential. Volume 1 of Industrially Important Fungi for Sustainable Development provides an overview to understanding fungal diversity from diverse habitats and their industrial application for future sustainability. It encompasses current advanced knowledge of fungal communities and their potential biotechnological applications in industry and allied sectors. The book will be useful to scientists, researchers, and students of microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, and environmental biology.