Biomass is a continuously renewed source of energy formed from or by a wide variety of living organisms. Through biochemical and thermochemical processes, it is converted into gaseous, liquid or solid biofuels, which already meet a significant share of the current world energy needs. Because of their contribution to the sustainability of energy supply, reduction of green house gas emissions as well as local employment and energy self-reliance, research interest and activity in enhancing biofuel energy output, efficiency and performance remain strong. The first part of this volume comprises...

Waste to Energy deals with the very topical subject of converting the calorific content of waste material into useful forms of energy. It complements and, to a certain degree, overlaps with its companion volume, "Biomass to Biofuels", since a significant proportion of biomass converted to energy nowadays originates from various types of waste. The material in the first, more substantial part of the volume has been arranged according to the type of process for energy conversion. Biochemical processes are described in six articles. These relate to the production of methane by anaerobic...

Corrosion is a degrading material process frequently encountered in engineering structures and components, which may lead to costly and catastrophic failures if not properly and timely addressed. This volume describes a wide spectrum of experimental and analytical studies, which provide a fairly comprehensive account of corrosion manifestations and methodologies for addressing them in structural and industrial design. As such, it is expected to make a valuable reference publication for engineers and scientists interested in the protection of structures and components from harmful and...

Containing papers from the 3rd International Conference on Energy Production and Management: The Quest for Sustainable Energy, this book discusses the future creation and use of energy resources. It also examines the issue of converting new sustainable sources of energy into useful forms, while finding efficient methods of storage and distribution. An important objective of the book is discussing ways in which more efficient use can be made of conventional as well as new energy sources. This relates to savings in energy consumption, reduction of energy losses, as well as the implementation...

Containing the proceedings from the 41st conference on Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods (BEM/MRM), this book is a collection of high quality papers that report on advances in techniques that reduce or eliminate the type of meshes associated with such methods as finite elements or finite differences. As design, analysis and manufacture become more integrated the chances are that the users will be less aware of the capabilities of the analytical techniques that are at the core of the process. This reinforces the need to retain expertise in certain specialised areas of...

Comprises a collection of papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature, this volume reviews the challenges and new opportunities of contemporary architecture. These papers cover the results of advances in design and new building technologies, as well as the development of new materials. Many of the changes are motivated by a drive towards eco-architecture, trying to harmonise architectural products with nature. Another important issue is the adaptation of the architectural design to the natural environment, learning from nature and...

Selected paper presented at the 1st International Conference on Urban Agriculture and City Sustainability are contained in this book. The research reviews ways in which urban agriculture can contribute to achieve sustainable cities and considers ways of reducing the impact in terms of use of natural resources, waste production and climate change. The increasing number of people in cities requires new strategies to supply the necessary food with limited provision of land and decreasing resources. This will become more challenging unless innovative solutions for growing and distributing food...

Complex Systems occur in an infinite variety of problems, not only in the realm of physical sciences and engineering, but encompassing fields as diverse as economy, the environment, humanities, social and political sciences. The high level of dynamics of such systems, which is usually expressed through the frequent occurrence of unpredictable disruptive events, makes conventional optimizers, batch schedulers and resource planning systems unworkable. Composed of selected research papers, this book brings together new developments and processes for managing complexity. The included works...

The preservation of heritage architecture is a cultural objective rigorously pursued by communities and nations wishing to promote their history, civilisation and aesthetic achievements. Structures built in the remote past by traditional methods have suffered the consequences of extreme loading events, such as earthquakes, over long time periods. Retrofitting is an approach based on recent technological developments and scientific knowledge, whereby modern construction methods and materials are applied to the repair and strengthening of historical structures. This book aims to inform on...

Masonry is a traditional, highly durable mode of construction; many heritage masonry structures, built at various historical periods, have survived, to a lesser or greater extent, adverse environmental conditions, which have reduced, sometimes considerably, their integrity, strength and durability. Due to the cultural significance of heritage architecture, resources are today allocated towards their restoration and conservation. This volume comprises distinguished contributions from the Transactions of the Wessex Institute describing research efforts towards achieving these objectives. ...