Our Energy Future : Introduction to Renewable Energy and Biofuels.

Cover -- CONTENTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- PREFACE -- 1 Overview of Energy Usage in the United States and the World -- Understanding Energy -- Energy, Population, and Standard of Living -- Energy Resources Today -- The Future of Electricity and Transportation -- The Future of Petroleum -- Study Questions -- 2 Why Fossil Fuels Energize Our Society -- Fossil Fuel Energy -- Lipids: Another Fuel Source -- Formation of Fossil Fuels -- Transitioning to a Fossil Fuel-based Society -- Coal: Powering an Electric Society -- Natural Gas: A Cleaner Fossil Fuel -- Black Gold to Gasoline: Transportation's Dependence on Petroleum -- Study Questions -- 3 The Impact of Energy Usage on Climate Change -- Atmospheric Control of Earth's Energy Budget -- Greenhouse Gases and their Role in Radiative Forcing -- Carbon Dioxide Dominates the Greenhouse Gases -- Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming -- Global Indicators of Climate Change -- Changing the Future -- Study Questions -- 4 Methods for Reducing Our Fossil Fuel Usage: Renewable Energy Sources and Uses -- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Resources for the Future -- Nuclear Energy: An Alternative Energy Resource, but Is It Really Renewable? -- Geothermal Energy -- Solar Energy -- Wind Energy -- Hydropower -- Ocean Energy -- Biomass -- Renewable Energy Utilization -- Study Questions -- 5 Linking Food and Fuel: The Impact of Industrial Agriculture -- Chemical Energy: Linking Food and Fuel -- The Agricultural Revolution -- Industrial Agriculture: Advancing Agriculture with Fossil Fuels -- The Green Revolution -- Food Production, Processing, and Transportation -- Balancing Food and Fuel -- A Sustainable Agricultural Future -- Study Questions -- 6 The Past and Present of Bioethanol: Corn, Sugarcane, and Cellulosics -- Introduction to Photosynthesis -- Introduction to Biofuels -- Ethanol's History in Recreation and Energy.

Ethanol as a Fuel Source Today -- Ethanol Production -- The Ethanol Dilemma in the United States -- Cellulosic Ethanol as a Fuel Source -- Biomass Sources for Cellulosic Ethanol -- Generating Cellulosic Ethanol -- The Future of Cellulosic Ethanol as a Fuel Source -- Future of Bioethanol -- Study Questions -- 7 Biofuels from Fats and Oils: Biodiesel -- History of Biodiesel -- Plant Reproduction Generates Biodiesel -- Introduction to Plant Biochemistry -- Biodiesel Production -- Fuel Properties of Biodiesel -- First-Generation Biodiesel Feedstocks -- Alternative Biodiesel Feedstocks -- Oil Palm for Biodiesel Production -- Jatropha for Biodiesel Production -- Environmental and Economic Impacts of Biodiesel -- The Future of Biodiesel -- Study Questions -- 8 Gaseous Biofuels: Biogas and Biohydrogen -- Production and Use of Biogas -- Anaerobic Digestion for Methane Production -- Commercial-Scale Biogas Production -- Landfills and Biogas Production -- Biogas in the Future -- Hydrogen Production and Use -- Fermentative Biohydrogen Production -- Photolysis and Biohydrogen Production -- Biogas and Biohydrogen in the Future -- Study Questions -- 9 Aquatic Versatility for Biofuels: Cyanobacteria, Diatoms, and Algae -- Introduction to Aquatic Biomass -- Why Biofuels from Aquatic Biomass? -- Aquatic Biomass Sources and Biofuels -- Cyanobacteria -- Diatoms -- True Algae -- Algae Biofuel Production -- Benefits and Challenges to Algae Fuel -- Study Questions -- 10 Biochemistry and Biotechnology for Biofuels Development -- Biotechnology and Biofuels -- Taking What Nature Offers: Bioprospecting -- Value of Metabolic Engineering -- Introduction to Genetic Cloning for Metabolic Engineering -- Metabolic Engineering for the Production of Biofuels -- "Omics": Advancing Bioenergy through Unseen Organisms -- The Future of Biotechnology in Biofuels -- Study Questions.

11 Thermochemical Conversion Technologies -- Introduction to Thermochemical Processing -- Primary Conversion Technologies -- Future of Thermochemical Technologies -- Study Questions -- 12 Environmental Impacts of Biofuels: Water, Land, and Nutrients -- Biofuels and the Environment -- Carbon Neutrality and Biofuels -- Land Use Changes -- Importance of Water on Earth -- Balancing Water Stress and Biofuels Production -- Biofuels, Agriculture, and the Water Supply -- Nutrients, Fertilizers, and Water Quality -- Nutrient Recycling and the Future of Biofuels -- Study Questions -- 13 Life Cycle Assessments for Evaluating Biofuels Production -- Why Do We Need Life Cycle Assessments? -- Types of Life Cycle Assessments -- The Basis of a Life Cycle Assessment -- Importance of LCAs for Biofuels -- Study Questions -- 14 Economics and Politics of Biofuels -- Economics of Energy -- Policy and Politics of Biofuels -- Study Questions -- 15 Our Energy Future: The Prospects for Developing and Using Sustainable Biofuels -- Energy Prospects for the Future -- Renewing Our Energy Future -- VOCABULARY -- REFERENCES -- INDEX -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y.

Our Energy Future is an introductory textbook for the study of energy production, alternative and renewable fuels, and ways to build a sustainable energy future. Jones and Mayfield explore the creation and history of fossil fuels, their impact on the environment, and how they have become critical to our society. The authors also outline how adopting sustainable biofuels will be key to the future of energy stability and discuss a number of renewable energy options and biofuel feedstocks that are replacements for petroleum-based products. Our society is consuming energy at an alarming rate, and the authors warn that continuing fuel-usage patterns could permanently damage the environment. This book emphasizes the importance of continued scientific, agricultural, and engineering development while it outlines the political and environmental challenges that will accompany a complete shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy and biomass. Our Energy Future is an accessible resource for undergraduate students studying biofuels and bioenergy.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.