Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series
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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series Editor-in-Chief Robert A. Meyers The Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology series (ESST) addresses the grand challenge for science and engineering today. It provides unprecedented, peer-reviewed coverage in more than 600 separate articles comprising 20 topical volumes, incorporating many updates from the first edition as well as new articles. ESST establishes a foundation for the many sustainability and policy evaluations being performed in institutions worldwide. An indispensable resource for scientists and engineers in developing new technologies and for applying existing technologies to sustainability, the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology series is presented at the university and professional level needed for scientists, engineers, and their students to support real progress in sustainability science and technology. Although the emphasis is on science and technology rather than policy, the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology series is also a com- prehensive and authoritative resource for policy makers who want to under- stand the scope of research and development and how these bottom-up innovations map on to the sustainability challenge. More information about this series at https://link.springer.com/bookseries/15436 Martin Kaltschmitt Editor Energy from Organic Materials (Biomass) A Volume in the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, Second Edition Volume 2 With 615 Figures and 228 Tables Editor Martin Kaltschmitt Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics (IUE) Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) Hamburg, Germany ISBN 978-1-4939-7812-0 ISBN 978-1-4939-7813-7 (eBook) ISBN 978-1-4939-7814-4 (print and electronic bundle) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7813-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018944126 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature. The registered company address is: 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, U.S.A. Series Preface Our nearly 1000-member team recognizes that all elements of sustainability science and technology continue to advance as does our understanding of the needs for energy, water, clean air, food, mobility, and health, and the relation of every single aspect of this vast and interconnected body of knowledge to climate change. Our Encyclopedia content is at a level for university students, professors, engineers, and other practicing professionals. It is gratifying for our team to note that our online First Edition has been heavily utilized as evidenced by over 500,000 downloads which of course is in addition to scientists’ utilization of the Encyclopedia and individual “spin-off” volumes in print. Now we are pleased to have a Living Reference on-line which assures the sustainability community that we are providing the latest peer-reviewed con- tent covering the science and technology of the sustainability of the earth. We are also publishing the content as a Series of individual topical books for ease use by those with an interest in particular subjects, and with expert oversight in each field to ensure that the second edition presents the state-of-the-science today. Our team covers the physical, chemical and biological processes that underlie the earth system including pollution and remediation and climate change, and we comprehensively cover every energy and environment tech- nology as well as all types of food production, water, transportation and the sustainable built environment. Our team of 15 board members includes two Nobel Prize winners (Kroto and Fischlin), two former Directors of the National Science Foundation (Colwell and Killeen), the former President of the Royal Society (Lord May), and the Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute (Amory Lovins). And our more than 40 eminent section editors and now book editors, assure quality of our selected authors and their review presentations. The extent of our coverage clearly sets our project apart from other publi- cations which now exist, both in extent and depth. In fact, current compendia of the science and technology of several of these topics do not presently exist and yet the content is crucial to any evaluation and planning for the sustain- ability of the earth. It is important to note that the emphasis of our project is on science and technology and not on policy and positions. Rather, policy makers will use our presentations to evaluate sustainability options. Vital scientific issues include: human and animal ecological support sys- tems, energy supply and effects, the planet’s climate system, systems of agriculture, industry, forestry, and fisheries and the ocean, fresh water and human communities, waste disposal, transportation and the built environment v vi Series Preface in general and the various systems on which they depend, and the balance of all of these with sustainability. In this context, sustainability is a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely even as global population increases toward nine billion by 2050. The population growth, and the hope for increase in wealth, implies something like a 50% increase in food demand by as early as 2030. At the same time, the proportion of the population that lives in an urban environment will go up from about 47% to 60%. Global economic activity is expected to grow 500%, and global energy and materials use is expected to increase by 300% over this period. That means there are going to be some real problems for energy, agriculture, and water, and it is increasingly clear that conflicting demands among biofuels, food crops, and environmental protection will be difficult to reconcile. The “green revolution” was heavily dependent on fertilizers which are manufactured using increasingly expensive and diminishing reserves of fossil fuels. In addition, about 70% of available freshwater is used for agriculture. Clearly, many natural resources will either become depleted or scarce relative to population. Larkspur, CA, USA Robert A. Meyers, Ph.D. June 2018 Editor-in-Chief Volume Preface Our globalized society is characterized by strongly increasing energy demand due to a fast growing population as well as steadily advancing average standards of living, and this development will most likely continue and even accelerate in the years to come especially in emerging economies. In parallel, the unwanted and often very harmful environmental effects caused due to the coverage of this energy demand become more and more obvious and serious; this is not only true for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions influencing most likely global climate but also for toxic emissions like, e.g., NOx, CO, and SO2 as well as particulate matter (PM). Therefore, the efforts to develop alternative and especially sustainable options for a more environmental sound and in parallel economic viable as well as social acceptable provision of energy have been significantly intensified in recent years on a global scale. And this is not only true for photovoltaics and wind energy gaining a lot of attention through- out the last couple of years due to significant price reductions. Also an energy provision from organic matter/biomass gains steadily more and more impor- tance and consideration within the global energy system among others due the fact that biomass as stored solar energy can be used within the heat and/or electricity market as well as within the transportation sector; i.e., biomass respectively the resulting bioenergy can be used within all energy markets currently important in most of the national energy systems. Additionally, biomass as a renewable source of energy has been used already since ancient times; thus, there exists a broad knowledge about this energy carrier including environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially acceptable techno- logical solutions for an efficient energy provision from very different organic materials. Against this background the overarching goal of this volume is to give an update about the various biomass sources available to humans, the different conversion pathways for the provision of heat, electricity,