Foreword
Rising human population and growing emphasis on improving the quality of human
life have increased the demand of food and energy. Efforts to provide food for all
have yielded results through the use of agrochemicals and fertilizers and increase in
the area of cultivable land. The current agricultural practices have become energy
intensive. Direct energy needs of people in all countries have also increased. The
energy availability and security has thus become an important priority for all
countries and more so for developing countries. The currently used conventional
energy sources are finite in nature, and their extensive use causes pollution.
Scientists now have come to a unanimous conclusion that global increase in carbon
dioxide and other gases and deforestation is responsible for increasing the stress on
the global environment. More efficient use of energy through appropriate policies
and demand management, implementation of better energy-conservation
technologies, and the intensive development of renewable energy sources are
being talked about.
Various renewable energy options are biomass, geothermal, hydro, ocean current,
solar, tidal, and wind. It is estimated that the developed countries are meeting around
3–4% of their energy needs through renewable energy resources as against 18–19%
of developing countries. Out of the various renewable energy options, biomass is a
quite versatile resource as it can be used for supporting both energetic and
non-energetic requirements of human society. The diversified nature of biomass
resources is quite often expressed in terms of 6-F concept, namely, food, feed, fuel,
v
Rising human population and growing emphasis on improving the quality of human
life have increased the demand of food and energy. Efforts to provide food for all
have yielded results through the use of agrochemicals and fertilizers and increase in
the area of cultivable land. The current agricultural practices have become energy
intensive. Direct energy needs of people in all countries have also increased. The
energy availability and security has thus become an important priority for all
countries and more so for developing countries. The currently used conventional
energy sources are finite in nature, and their extensive use causes pollution.
Scientists now have come to a unanimous conclusion that global increase in carbon
dioxide and other gases and deforestation is responsible for increasing the stress on
the global environment. More efficient use of energy through appropriate policies
and demand management, implementation of better energy-conservation
technologies, and the intensive development of renewable energy sources are
being talked about.
Various renewable energy options are biomass, geothermal, hydro, ocean current,
solar, tidal, and wind. It is estimated that the developed countries are meeting around
3–4% of their energy needs through renewable energy resources as against 18–19%
of developing countries. Out of the various renewable energy options, biomass is a
quite versatile resource as it can be used for supporting both energetic and
non-energetic requirements of human society. The diversified nature of biomass
resources is quite often expressed in terms of 6-F concept, namely, food, feed, fuel,
v