Analytical Techniques and Methods for Biomass

This book deals with the application of techniques and methods of chemical analysis for the study of biomass and its conversion processes. It aims to fill the existing gap in the literature on this subject. The application of various techniques and analytical methods is presented straightforwardly, enabling readers to choose the most appropriate methodologies for analyzing the major classes of plant biomass and their products.
Modern chemistry plays a crucial economic role in industrial activities based on biomass. There is an increasing emphasis on its application, specifically in the development of biorefineries, and the principles of green chemistry allow effective use of biomass while significantly reducing environmental impact. In this context, analytical chemistry can contribute significantly to the supply chains of biomass, be it plant or animal origin. However, biomass from plant sources presents both the greatest challenges and the highest opportunity for technical, scientific, and economic progress due to its diverse chemical constitution. Chemical analysis can be used to examine the composition of biomass, characterize its physicochemical properties, and monitor their conversion processes. This approach can enhance the quality of products derived from biomass and expand their potential applications.
The quality of the biomass used determines the product quality. Therefore, reliable information about the chemical composition of the biomass to establish the best use which will influence harvest and preparation steps is essential. Accordingly, this book includes contributions from select international experts who discuss key aspects of biomass structure, their physical and chemical properties, the parameters of conversion processes, the products and by-products formation and quantification, and quality parameters.

Dr. Silvio Vaz Jr. holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry with technological assignments (applied chemistry) from the Federal University of Uberlândia (Brazil), a M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry and a D.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of São Paulo, and PhD equivalence diplomas from the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and from University of Granada (Spain). He was the founder and managing partner of two chemical analysis and consulting companies (Solução Ambiental and Hidrolisis, Brazil). He is currently a senior scientist at Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa, Brazil). He has experience in several areas of Chemistry, working on the following topics: analytical & environmental chemistry; renewable chemistry; green chemistry; agricultural chemistry; and technological/industrial chemistry. He is coordinator of R&D&I projects nationally and internationally. He is author, co-author and editor of articles, books and chapters, and patents. He is past president of the ACS Brazil Chapter of the American Chemical Society. He is the leader of the Embrapa/CNPq research group in renewable chemistry. He is the winner of two editions of the Kurt Politzer Prize of the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (new enterprise category 2008 and researcher 2011 category). He is a member of the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition of the World Bank. He serves as professor of the graduate program in Environmental Engineering at Federal University of Ouro Preto, Brazil, and of the graduate programme in Biofuels (Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil); he serves also as collaborator of the graduate program in Chemical and Biochemical Process Engineering (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and of the graduate program in Materials Science (University of Brasília). Recently, Dr. Vaz Jr. received the Talents 2024 award from the Federal Chemistry Council (Brazil) as winner of the Industrial Chemistry/Technological Chemistry category.