Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Sustainable Development Strategies: An Overview -- 1.1 Renewable Energies: State of the Art and Diffusion -- 1.2 Process Intensification -- 1.2.1 Process Intensifying Equipment -- 1.2.2 Process Intensifying Methods -- 1.3 Concept and Potentialities of Bio-based Platforms for Biomolecule Production -- 1.3.1 Biogas Platform -- 1.3.2 Sugar Platform -- 1.3.3 Vegetable Oil Platform -- 1.3.4 Algae Oil Platform -- 1.3.5 Lignin Platform -- 1.3.6 Opportunities and Growth Predictions -- 1.4 Soil and Water Remediation -- 1.4.1 Soil Remediation -- 1.4.2 Water Remediation -- Acknowledgement -- References -- Chapter 2 Innovative Solar Technology: CSP Plants for Combined Production of Hydrogen and Electricity -- 2.1 Principles -- 2.2 Plant Configurations -- 2.2.1 Solar Membrane Reactor Steam Reforming -- 2.2.2 Solar Enriched Methane Production -- 2.3 Mathematical Models -- 2.3.1 Solar Enriched Methane Reactor Modelling -- 2.3.2 Membrane Reactor Modelling -- 2.3.3 WGS, Separation Units and the Electricity Production Model -- 2.4 Plant Simulations -- 2.4.1 EM Reactor -- 2.4.2 Membrane Reactor -- 2.4.3 Global Plant Simulations and Comparison -- 2.5 Conclusions -- Nomenclature -- References -- Chapter 3 Strategies for Increasing Electrical Energy Production from Intermittent Renewables -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Penetration of Renewable Energies into the Electricity Market and Issues Related to Their Development: Some Interesting Cases -- 3.3 An Approach to Expansion of RES and Efficiency Policy in an Integrated Energy System -- 3.3.1 Optimization Problems -- 3.3.2 Operational Limits and Constraints -- 3.3.3 Software Tools for Analysis.

3.4 Analysis of Possible Interesting Scenarios for Increasing Penetration of RES -- 3.4.1 Renewable Energy Expansion in a Reference Scenario -- 3.4.2 Increasing Thermoelectric Generation Flexibility -- 3.4.3 Effects of Introducing the Peak/Off-Peak Charge Tariff -- 3.4.4 Introducing Electric Traction in the Transport Sector: Connection between Electricity and Transport Systems -- 3.4.5 Increasing Industrial CHP Electricity Production -- 3.4.6 Developing the Concept of `Virtual Power Plants' -- 3.5 Analysis of a Meaningful Case Study: The Italian Scenario -- 3.5.1 Renewable Energy Expansion in a Reference Scenario -- 3.5.2 Increasing Thermoelectric Generation Flexibility -- 3.5.3 Effects of Introducing a Peak/Off-Peak Charge Tariff -- 3.5.4 Introduction of a Connection between Electricity and Transport Systems: The Increase in Electric Cars -- 3.5.5 Increasing Industrial CHP Electricity Production -- 3.6 Analysis and Discussion -- 3.7 Conclusions -- Nomenclature and Abbreviations -- References -- Chapter 4 The Smart Grid as a Response to Spread the Concept of Distributed Generation -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Present Electric Power Generation Systems -- 4.3 A Future Electrical Power Generation System with a High Penetration of Distributed Generation and Renewable Energy Resources -- 4.4 Integration of DGs into Smart Grids for Balancing Power -- 4.5 The Bornholm System-A ``Fast Track'' for Smart Grids -- 4.6 Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 5 Process Intensification in the Chemical Industry: A Review -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Different Approaches to Process Intensification -- 5.3 Process Intensification as a Valuable Tool for the Chemical Industry -- 5.4 PI Exploitation in the Chemical Industry -- 5.4.1 Structured Packing for Mass Transfer -- 5.4.2 Static Mixers -- 5.4.3 Catalytic Foam Reactors.

5.4.4 Monolithic Reactors -- 5.4.5 Microchannel Reactors -- 5.4.6 Non-Selective Membrane Reactors -- 5.4.7 Adsorptive Distillation -- 5.4.8 Heat-Integrated Distillation -- 5.4.9 Membrane Absorption/Stripping -- 5.4.10 Membrane Distillation -- 5.4.11 Membrane Crystallization -- 5.4.12 Distillation-Pervaporation -- 5.4.13 Membrane Reactors -- 5.4.14 Heat Exchanger Reactors -- 5.4.15 Simulated Moving Bed Reactors -- 5.4.16 Gas-Solid-Solid Trickle Flow Reactor -- 5.4.17 Reactive Extraction -- 5.4.18 Reactive Absorption -- 5.4.19 Reactive Distillation -- 5.4.20 Membrane-Assisted Reactive Distillation -- 5.4.21 Hydrodynamic Cavitation Reactors -- 5.4.22 Pulsed Compression Reactor -- 5.4.23 Sonochemical Reactors -- 5.4.24 Ultrasound-Enhanced Crystallization -- 5.4.25 Electric Field-Enhanced Extraction -- 5.4.26 Induction and Ohmic Heating -- 5.4.27 Microwave Drying -- 5.4.28 Microwave-Enhanced Separation and Microwave Reactors -- 5.4.29 Photochemical Reactors -- 5.4.30 Oscillatory Baffled Reactor Technologies -- 5.4.31 Reverse Flow Reactor Operation -- 5.4.32 Pulse Combustion Drying -- 5.4.33 Supercritical Separation -- 5.5 Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 6 Process Intensification in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Process Intensification -- 6.2.1 Definition and Principles -- 6.2.2 Components -- 6.3 The Membrane Role -- 6.4 Membrane Reactor -- 6.4.1 Membrane Reactor and Process Intensification -- 6.4.2 Membrane Reactor Benefits -- 6.5 Applications of Membrane Reactors in the Petrochemical Industry -- 6.5.1 Dehydrogenation Reactions -- 6.5.2 Oxidative Coupling of Methane -- 6.5.3 Methane Steam Reforming -- 6.5.4 Water Gas Shift -- 6.6 Process Intensification in Chemical Industry -- 6.6.1 Reactive Distillation -- 6.6.2 Reactive Extraction -- 6.6.3 Reactive Adsorption.

6.6.4 Hybrid Separation -- 6.7 Future Trends -- 6.8 Conclusion -- Nomenclature -- References -- Chapter 7 Production of Bio-Based Fuels: Bioethanol and Biodiesel -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.1.1 Importance of Biofuel as a Renewable Energy Source -- 7.2 Production of Bioethanol -- 7.2.1 Bioethanol from Biomass: Production, Processes, and Limitations -- 7.2.2 Substrate -- 7.2.3 Future Prospects for Bioethanol -- 7.3 Biodiesel and Renewable Diesels from Biomass -- 7.3.1 Potential of Vegetable Oil as a Diesel Fuel Substitute -- 7.3.2 Vegetable Oil Ester Based Biodiesel -- 7.3.3 Several Approaches to Biodiesel Synthesis -- 7.3.4 Sustainability of Biofuel Use -- 7.3.5 Future Prospects -- 7.4 Perspective -- List of Acronyms -- References -- Chapter 8 Inside the Bioplastics World: An Alternative to Petroleum-based Plastics -- 8.1 Bioplastic Concept -- 8.2 Bioplastic Production Processes -- 8.2.1 PLA Production Process -- 8.2.2 Starch-based Bioplastic Production Process -- 8.3 Bioplastic Environmental Impact: Strengths and Weaknesses -- 8.3.1 Life Cycle Assessment Methodology -- 8.3.2 The Ecoindicator 99 Methodology: An End-Point Approach -- 8.3.3 Case Study 1: PLA versus PET Bottles -- 8.3.4 Case Study 2: Mater-Bi versus PE Shoppers -- 8.3.5 Land Use Change (LUC) Emissions and Bioplastics -- 8.4 Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 9 Biosurfactants -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 State of the Art -- 9.2.1 Glycolipids -- 9.2.2 Lipopeptides -- 9.2.3 Fatty Acids, Neutral Lipids, and Phospholipids -- 9.2.4 Polymeric Biosurfactants -- 9.2.5 Particulate Biosurfactants -- 9.3 Production Technologies -- 9.3.1 Use of Renewable Substrates -- 9.3.2 Medium Optimization -- 9.3.3 Immobilization -- 9.4 Recovery of Biosurfactants -- 9.5 Application Fields -- 9.5.1 Environmental Applications -- 9.5.2 Biomedical Applications.

9.5.3 Agricultural Applications -- 9.5.4 Biotechnological and Nanotechnological Applications -- 9.6 Future Prospects -- References -- Chapter 10 Bioremediation of Water: A Sustainable Approach -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 State-of-the-Art: Recent Development -- 10.3 Water Management -- 10.4 Overview of Bioremediation in Wastewater Treatment and Ground Water Contamination -- 10.5 Membrane Separation in Bioremediation -- 10.6 Case Studies -- 10.6.1 Bioremediation of Heavy Metals -- 10.6.2 Bioremediation of Nitrate Pollution -- 10.6.3 Bioremediation in the Petroleum Industry -- 10.7 Conclusions -- List of Acronyms -- References -- Chapter 11 Effective Remediation of Contaminated Soils by Eco-Compatible Physical, Biological, and Chemical Practices -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 Biological Methods (Microorganisms, Plants, Compost, and Biochar) -- 11.2.1 Microorganisms -- 11.2.2 Plants -- 11.2.3 Plant-Microorganism Associations: Mycorrhizal Fungi -- 11.2.4 Compost and Biochar -- 11.3 Physicochemical Methods -- 11.3.1 Humic Substances as Natural Surfactants -- 11.4 Chemical Methods -- 11.4.1 Metal-Porphyrins -- 11.4.2 Nanocatalysts -- 11.5 Conclusions -- List of Symbols and Acronyms -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chapter 12 Nanoparticles as a Smart Technology for Remediation -- 12.1 Introduction -- 12.2 Silica Nanoparticles for Wastewater Treatment -- 12.2.1 Silica Nanoparticles: An Overview -- 12.2.2 Preparation of Nanosilica -- 12.2.3 Removal of Dyes by Silica Nanoparticles -- 12.2.4 Removal of Metallic Pollutants by Silica Nanoparticles -- 12.3 Magnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications -- 12.3.1 Magnetic Nanoparticles: An Overview -- 12.3.2 Synthesis of Magnetic Nanoparticles -- 12.3.3 Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles.

12.3.4 Applications of Magnetic Nanoparticles.