Progress in biomass conversion. : Vol. 1

Progress in Biomass Conversion, Volume 1 reviews advances in the conversion of biomass sources such as wood and wood residues, agricultural materials, and municipal refuse to fuel, with emphasis on the potential of wood to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Topics covered range from wood fuel use in the forest products industry to the economic values of wood residues as fuel. Methanol from wood and pyrolysis of wood residues with a vertical bed reactor are also considered. Comprised of seven chapters, this volume begins with a discussion on living resources and renewing processes, focusing on carbon resources and cycles, biomass system assessment, and the renewability of biomass as well as the feedstock approach of producing chemicals from renewable resources. The use of wood fuel in the forest products industry is then examined, along with the economic importance of wood residues as fuel. Subsequent chapters deal with the pyrolysis of wood residues in a vertical bed reactor; the derivation of methanol from wood; practices for recovering energy from municipal waste in Europe and the United States; and silvicultural energy farms as a potential source of wood fuel in the long term. This book should appeal to energy policymakers as well as public utilities, manufacturing plants, and public institutions interested in biomass fuel utilization. Content: Front Matter Page iii Copyright page Page iv List of Contributors Page vii Foreword Pages viii-x James S. Bethel Preface Pages xi-xii Kyosti V. Sarkanen, David A. Tillman Living Resources and Renewing Processes: Some Thoughts and Considerations Pages 1-26 Ingemar Falkehag Wood Fuel Use in the Forest Products Industry Pages 27-52 R.L. Jamison The Economic Values of Wood Residues as Fuel Pages 53-86 David A. Tillman Pyrolysis of Wood Residues with a Vertical Bed Reactor Pages 87-115 J.A. Knight Methanol from Wood: A Critical Assessment Pages 117-144 R.M. Rowell, A.E. Hokanson A Survey of U. S. and European Practices for Recovering Energy from Municipal Waste Pages 145-213 James G. Abert, Harvey Alter The Silvicultural Energy Farm in Perspective Pages 215-255 Jean-Francois Henry Index Pages 257-259