Synthetic Fuels

by Ronald F. Probstein, R. Edwin Hicks

This book, the outgrowth of a graduate course the authors taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was designed to fill an urgent need—the training of engineers in the production of synthetic fuels to replace dwindling supplies of natural ones. The authors presented synthetic fuels as a unified engineering subject, while recognizing that many of its principles are well-understood aspects of various engineering fields.
The presentation begins with a review of chemical and physical fundamentals and conversion fundamentals, and proceeds to coal gasification and gas upgrading. Subsequent chapters examine liquids and clean solids produced from coal, liquids obtained from oil shale and tar sands, biomass conversion, and environmental, economic, and related aspects of synthetic fuel use.
The text is directed toward beginning graduate students and advanced undergraduates in chemical and mechanical engineering, but should also appeal to students from other disciplines, including environmental, mining, petroleum, and industrial engineering, as well as chemistry. It also serves as a reference and guide for professionals.

510 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1982

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a fairly dry text, it will teach you about the general processes one needs to do to convert coal or biomass into more usable synthetic fuels (such as methane, methanol, or ethanol). The book is written clearly and does a very good job of abstracting the main concepts. While it goes into detail in many processes, it never got so deep into the details that it lost focus on the main ideas that were being illustrated.

[John]

My research area! got it for REAL CHEAP at a B&N red-dot sale... and right up my alley. My newest project is in using biomass (organics, wastewater, etc...) to produce Methanol, which can be used for a variety of energy needs, and is clean-burning, and only a fraction of the cost of fossil fuel.