The demand for energy is rising and given that energy demand is projected to keep rising
with constrained oil supplies, oil prices seem unlikely to fall signifi cantly in the near future.
Because 60% of U.S. petroleum supplies are imported, there is a need to develop alternative
fuel supplies for future energy demands. Bioenergy has become a subject of increasing attention
around the world.
But the use of crop biomass such as grains,
roots, and tubers as a raw

material
for bioenergy
production may
compete with food and feed supplies. U.S.
fuel ethanol
and
biodiesel production is at an all -
time
high, but the industry
is also facing
a signifi
cant
problem
on how
to deal with byproducts
and wastes
such as corn
fi
ber,
dried distillers ’

grains

and
solubles
(DDGS), glycerin,
food,
and animal wastes.
For
instance, production of 10

lb

of
diesel results in 1

lb
of glycerin
and for every
bushel of corn
converted
into ethanol (2.7
gallons),
18

lb
of DDGS is generated. Waste,
despite being one of the leading environmental

problems,
has the potential to become one of the largest
bioenergy
resources. Livestock

production
worldwide
has grown
rapidly
in light of increased demand,
and this has environmental
implications especially
in the area of waste
management. In New
York
State alone,
the
dairy
cow
population is about 700,000, generating a signifi
cant
amount of manure. At

40


lb
of waste
per cow
per day,
the energy
potential is great.
By eliminating the animal waste

on
a farm,
a farmer
alleviates
or eliminates environmental
problems,
such as odor and water

pollution,
and may
be able
to increase the size of his herd. Animal
waste
digestion offers

many
economic benefi
ts
(biogas
and fertilizer
production). Therefore,
fi
nding
new
energy

sources
from livestock
waste
streams will be a major strategy
to treat the waste
and sustain
the
growth
of the livestock
industry.

Currently, there is no book on the market that is focused on the production of liquid biofuels
and biogas from agricultural byproducts and wastes. This book will provide a comprehensive
text on the science of production of liquid biofuels (ethanol and butanol) and biogas (methane)
from agricultural byproducts as well as animal and food industry wastes. The book is intended
for university researchers (professors, students, libraries), industry scientists (large company
QA/QC management, bioenergy companies, start - up companies, microbiologists), as well as
engineers and microbiologists from government agencies. This book should serve as an up
to
-
date
reference resource for university
and industry
scientists in the area of biofuel research,
waste
treatment, and integrated
farm
management.