Description
Biofuels are an important factor as a substitute for fossil fuels. Their production is increasing around the world. Success in this market requires a highly efficient, reliable and economic production. Bio-diesel production is in rise day-by-day around the globe. The major reason behind the phenomena is the limited amount of petroleum product reservoirs. The fast depleting reservoir of fossil fuel has already ringed the alarm bell. Biofuel production techniques widely vary, depending on the type of raw material, efficiency level, production volume, surrounding situation and end-users requirement etc. The potential environmental and social implications of its continued growth must be recognized.
Soil Quality and Biofuel Production discusses the soil quality aspect of biofuel production and best practices to improve soil quality and manage residue. It presents allusion of biomass elimination on soil quality and the sustainability of production systems discussing farming techniques for biofuel production. The production of biofuel crops might simultaneously affect a combination of soil properties and stipulating severe human-driven soil quality threats, out of which the decline of soil organic matter (SOM), the increase of erosion risks, and on and off-site pollution and nutrient losses are the most pronounced. The text analyzes differences between annual and perennial crops out of the effects of management and land-use change (LUC), including an issue of soil organic carbon (SOC) budget and sustainable removal of crop residues for energy production. Consequently, it focuses on soil quality under biofuel crop production as affected by these threats to provide essential soil services. It deliberates on the challenges of the soil quality aspect of sustainable biofuel crop production, which include by-product management, soil remediation potential, and utilization of idle and degraded soils for biofuels.
This volume presenting wide-ranging information is expected to help students, farmers make adjustments in how they grow crops for energy production and help policy makers adjust national energy policies to provide for maximum production while protecting the natural resource base as well as for environmental scientists and agricultural engineers with the knowledge they need to address them.
