PROGRESS IN BIOMASS CONVERSION

This book reviews the long-range potential of biomass. It also discusses how biomass could replace petroleum and natural gas through different processes and under different circumstances, and at what price and to what extent. It provides a comparison with alternative resources, including coal and petroleum, and taking into consideration such problems as corrosion and erosion....These papers provide a demonstration of how technical feasibility can be distinct from economic viability and how changes in one can affect the other. The contents discussed are: Hydroprocessing of Biomass Tars for Liquid Engine Fuels; Fuel Characteristics of Wood and Nonwood Biomass Fuels; Factors Influencing Dilute Sulfuric Acid Prehydrolysis of Southern Red Oak Wood; The Energy Costs of Increased Organics Recovery for Chemical By-Products in Kraft Pulp Mills; Microeconomic Approaches to Biomass Fuel Pricing; Fuel Characteristics of Selected Species of Beached Logs in Southeastern Alaska; An assessment of the Costs and Benefits of Recovering Logging Residue for Energy Use; Review of Biomass Gasification Technology; and Index.