The current major sources of energy, namely fossil fuels and nuclear, are unsustainable and non-renewable, hence there is a determination worldwide to move to renewable types of energy. The largest contribution to renewables, in the short to medium term, is expected to be derived from biomass, and fuels from energy crops have the advantage of being sufficiently similar to fossil fuels to enable direct substitution. The Handbook of Bioenergy Crops aims to describe various aspects related to the potential of bioenergy crops including environmental, economic and social dimensions.

The book consists of three parts. Part 1 gives the background to global energy production and the consumption and potential of biomass and discusses technical aspects such as biomass productivity, harvesting and conversion to energy. Part 2 is the major part of the book and consists of a comprehensive guide to a wide range of bioenergy crops from the little known, e.g. Aleman grass to the more familiar, e.g. willow. Species distribution, ecological requirements, propagation, production, processing and utilization are covered for all 64 crops. Part 3 reviews research and looks to future prospects for groups of crop types/bioenergy uses of crops including ethanol, oil, biogas, hydrogen/methanol and underutilized/unexploited types. The handbook provides a lengthy list of references and also gives relevant internet resource links for particular chapters.

This book is an extremely useful reference for students, researchers and others wishing to gain a greater understanding of issues associated with bioenergy crops and to examine the details for individual crop species.