Springer Alternative Energy Resources: The Way to a Sustainable Modern Society: 99 (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, 99)

This book reviews alternative and renewable energy resources in order to pave the way for a more sustainable production in the future. A multi-disciplinary team of authors provides a comprehensive overview of current technologies and future trends, including solar technologies, wind energy, hydropower, microbial electrochemical systems and various biomass sources for biofuel production. In addition, the book focuses on solutions for developing countries. Conventional energy sources are finite, and estimates suggest that they will be exhausted within a few decades. Finding a solution to this problem is a global challenge, and developing countries in particular are still highly dependent on fossil fuels due to their rapidly growing populations accompanied by a huge growth in primary energy consumption. Moreover, the most common conventional energy sources (coal and petroleum) are non-sustainable since their combustion exponentially increases greenhouse gas emissions. As such, there is a pressing need for clean energy based on alternative or renewable resources, not only to ensure energy supplies at an affordable price but also to protect the environment.      From the Back Cover This book reviews alternative and renewable energy resources in order to pave the way for a more sustainable production in the future. A multi-disciplinary team of authors provides a comprehensive overview of current technologies and future trends, including solar technologies, wind energy, hydropower, microbial electrochemical systems and various biomass sources for biofuel production. In addition, the book focuses on solutions for developing countries. Conventional energy sources are finite, and estimates suggest that they will be exhausted within a few decades. Finding a solution to this problem is a global challenge, and developing countries in particular are still highly dependent on fossil fuels due to their rapidly growing populations accompanied by a huge growth in primary energy consumption. Moreover, the most common conventional energy sources (coal and petroleum) are non-sustainable since their combustion exponentially increases greenhouse gas emissions. As such, there is a pressing need for clean energy based on alternative or renewable resources, not only to ensure energy supplies at an affordable price but also to protect the environment.      About the Author Dr. Pankaj Pathak is an Assistant Professor at SRM University Amaravati, India, with a keen interest in sustainable and green energy resources, waste management and geochemistry, including sustainable handling of nuclear waste and associated environmental impacts. She was involved in several research projects at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Bombay) related to nuclear waste management and characterization of buffer materials for nuclear waste repositories. Also, she has gained research experience in the area of hazardous waste and liquid waste treatment technology, along with hydrometallurgical recovery of metals from waste streams, their safe disposal and remediation techniques at CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (Jamshedpur). Dr. Rajiv Ranjan Srivastava is a Research Professor at the Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, DaNang Vietnam. He holds a Ph.D. from the Korea University of Science and Technology (UST). He has worked at TAE-HYUNG Recycling (R&D centre, Korea), Rubamin Limited (Rubamin Technology Centre, India), CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (India) in various positions. His inter-disciplinary research interests include waste management, urban mining, sustainable management of environmental resources, and hydrometallurgical exploitation of energy-critical elements. He is a life member of The Catalysis Society of India and has published several papers in top-ranking SCI journals as well as a number of book chapters. He also serves as a reviewer for various respected internat