1st Edition

Carbon-Neutral Fuels and Energy Carriers

Edited By Nazim Z. Muradov, T. Veziroğlu Copyright 2012
    848 Pages 315 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    848 Pages 315 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Concerns over an unstable energy supply and the adverse environmental impact of carbonaceous fuels have triggered considerable efforts worldwide to find carbon-free or low-carbon alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. Carbon-Neutral Fuels and Energy Carriers emphasizes the vital role of carbon-neutral energy sources, transportation fuels, and associated technologies for establishing a sustainable energy future. Each chapter draws on the insight of world-renowned experts in such diverse fields as photochemistry and electrochemistry, solar and nuclear energy, biofuels and synthetic fuels, carbon sequestration, and alternative fuel vehicles.

    After an introductory chapter on different energy options in a carbon-constrained world and proposed measures to stabilize atmospheric CO2, the book analyzes the advantages and challenges facing the introduction of hydrogen fuel to the marketplace. It then examines the role of nuclear power in the production of carbon-free energy and fuels as well as the efficient use and storage of renewable energy resources, emphasizing the production of solar fuels from water and CO2. The book also discusses different aspects of bioenergy and biofuels production and use and the potential role of bio-inspired energy systems and industrial processes. The final chapters present a thorough overview and analysis of state-of-the-art fossil fuel decarbonization technologies and clean transportation options.

    This authoritative work provides the information needed to make more informed choices regarding available clean energy and fuel alternatives. It helps readers to better understand the interconnection between energy and the environment as well as the potential impact of human activities on climate.

    Energy Options in a Carbon-Constrained World: An Advent of Carbon-Neutral Technologies, Nazim Z. Muradov and T. Nejat Veziroğlu

    Hydrogen Energy—Abundant, Efficient, Clean: A Debate over the Energy-System-of-Change, Carl-Jochen Winter

    Nuclear Power for the Production of Carbon-Free Energy and Fuels, Kenneth R. Schultz, Maximilian B. Gorensek, J. Stephen Herring, Michele A. Lewis, Robert Moore, James E. O’Brien, Paul S. Pickard, Benjamin E. Russ, and William A. Summers

    Solar Production of Fuels from Water and CO2, Gabriele Centi, Siglinda Perathoner, Rosalba Passalacqua, and Claudio Ampelli

    Efficient Utilization of Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Energy Sources through Exergy Analysis, Arif Hepbasli

    Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to Fuels, Serguei N. Lvov, Justin R. Beck, and Mark S. LaBarbera

    Energy Storage and Other Ways of Handling Intermittent Energy Production from Renewable Sources, Bent Sørensen

    Energy Bionics: The Bio-Analogue Strategy for a Sustainable Energy Future, Helmut Tributsch

    Synthetic Hydrocarbon Fuels from Lignocellulosic Biomass, Georg Schaub and Kyra Pabst

    Fundamentals of Biohydrogen Production Processes, Chitralekha Nag Dasgupta and Debabrata Das

    Photobiological and Photobiomimetic Production of Solar Fuels, Paul W. King, Katherine A. Brown, Kathleen Ratcliff, and Laura L. Beer

    Fermentative Biofuels: Prospects of Practical Application, David B. Levin, Carlo Carere, Umesh Ramachandran, Tom Rydzak, and Jessica Saunders

    Biofuels from Oily Biomass, Maximino Manzanera

    Fossil Fuel Decarbonization: In the Quest for Clean and Lasting Fossil Energy, Nazim Z. Muradov

    Clean Car Options for the Twenty-First Century, C.E. (Sandy) Thomas

    Index

    Biography

    Nazim Z. Muradov is a principal research scientist in the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida. He is a fellow and member of the board of directors of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE), a member of the board of trustees and scientific council of the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA Energia), and an associate editor of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. Dr. Muradov has authored more than 200 publications and 36 patents; one of his papers (co-authored with Dr. Veziroğlu) is among the most cited research papers in the area of hydrogen economy.

    T. Nejat Veziroğlu is the president of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy and professor emeritus at the University of Miami. He is also the founder and former editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. A fellow of the IMechE, ASME, and AAAS, Dr. Veziroğlu has published more than 350 papers and scientific reports and has received numerous honors, including a nomination for the 2000 Nobel Prize in Economics, the Energy for Mankind Award, the I.V. Kurchatov Medal, and the Turkish Presidential Science Award.

    The treatment is very comprehensive, ranging from hydrogen to biofuels, and from decarbonized fossil fuels to fuels produced by recycling atmospheric carbon dioxide. The detailed discussion of different energy options is preceded by a comprehensive overview of the problem of negative environmental impact of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. In such an overview, the different technologies are introduced without bias towards one or the other solution so that for every specific situation you can find a very balanced transition scenario.
    —Giuseppe Spazzafumo, University of Cassino, Italy

    The approach and topics chosen are excellent. … very thorough coverage of the field … Each of the carbon-neutral fuels and energy subjects discussed in the chapters is written by an expert in the field. Thus, not only is the entire field comprehensively covered by the book but each of the fuels and energy subjects is presented in depth. This makes the volume that much more valuable, not only for teaching purposes but also for use by research and policy workers.
    —Meyer Steinberg, Consultant (former senior researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory), Melville, New York, USA