Transformation of Biomass

Sovereign nation states, which were formed in the context of major war, have been deeply exclusionary in their dealings with minority cultures and alien outsiders. In this book, Andrew Linklater claims that globalization, the pacification of core areas of the world economy and ethnic revolt challenge these traditional practices. As a result, new forms of political community and citizenship have become possible. In an original synthesis of recent developments in social and political theory, The Transformation of Political Community argues for new forms of political community which are cosmopolitan, sensitive to cultural differences and committed to reducing material inequalities. The book provides a bold account of post-Westphalian societies and the ethical principles which should inform their external relations. Linklater argues for political communities in which human relations are governed by dialogue and consent rather than power and force. The Transformation of Political Community will be of interest to students and academics in international relations, politics and sociology.

The digital transformation is in full swing and fundamentally changes how we live, work, and communicate with each other. From retail to finance, many industries see an inflow of new technologies, disruption through innovative platform business models, and employees struggling to cope with the significant shifts occurring. This Fourth Industrial Revolution is predicted to also transform Logistics and Supply Chain Management, with delivery systems becoming automated, smart networks created everywhere, and data being collected and analyzed universally.  The Digital Transformation of Logistics: Demystifying Impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution   provides a holistic overview of this vital subject clouded by buzz, hype, and misinformation.  The book is divided into three themed-sections:  Technologies  such as self-driving cars or virtual reality are not only electrifying science fiction lovers anymore, but are also increasingly presented as cure-all remedies to supply chain challenges. In  The Digital Transformation of Logistics: Demystifying Impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution , the authors peel back the layers of excitement that have grown around new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Blockchain or Cloud computing, and show use cases that give a glimpse about the fascinating future we can expect.  Platforms  that allow businesses to centrally acquire and manage their logistics services disrupt an industry that has been relationship-based for centuries. The authors discuss smart contracts, which are one of the most exciting applications of Blockchain, Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings for freight procurement, where numerous data sources can be integrated and decision-making processes automated, and marine terminal operating systems as an integral node for shipments. In  The Digital Transformation of Logistics: Demystifying Impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, insights are shared into the cold chain industry where companies respond to increasing quality demands, and how European governments are innovatively responding to challenges of cross-border eCommerce.  People  are a vital element of the digital transformation and must be on board to drive change.  The Digital Transformation of Logistics: Demystifying Impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution   explains how executives can create sustainable impact and how competencies can be managed in the digital age – especially for sales executives who require urgent upskilling to remain relevant. Best practices are shared for organizational culture change, drawing on studies among senior leaders from the US, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia, and for managing strategic alliances with logistics service providers to offset risks and create cross-functional, cross-company transparency.  The Digital Transformation of Logistics: Demystifying Impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution  provides realistic insights, a ready-to-use knowledge base, and a working vocabulary about current activities and emerging trends of the Logistics industry. Intended readers are supply chain professionals working for manufacturing, trading, and freight forwarding companies as well as students and all interested parties.

Sets the stage for the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly fuels, chemicals, and materials Taking millions of years to form, fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources; it is estimated that they will be depleted by the end of this century. Moreover, the production and use of fossil fuels have resulted in considerable environmental harm. The generation of environmentally friendly energy from renewable sources such as biomass is therefore essential. This book focuses on the integration of green chemistry concepts into biomass processes and conversion in order to take full advantage of the potential of biomass to replace nonsustainable resources and meet global needs for fuel as well as other chemicals and materials. The Role of Green Chemistry in Biomass Processing and Conversion features contributions from leading experts from Asia, Europe, and North America. Focusing on lignocellulosic biomass, the most abundant biomass resource, the book begins with a general introduction to biomass and biorefineries and then provides an update on the latest advances in green chemistry that support biomass processing and conversion. Next, the authors describe current and emerging biomass processing and conversion techniques that use green chemistry technologies, including: Green solvents such as ionic liquids, supercritical CO2, and water Sustainable energy sources such as microwave irradiation and sonification Green catalytic technologies Advanced membrane separation technologies The last chapter of the book explores the ecotoxicological and environmental effects of converting and using fuels, chemicals, and materials from biomass. Recommended for professionals and students in chemical engineering, green chemistry, and energy and fuels, The Role of Green Chemistry in Biomass Processing and Conversion sets a strong foundation for the development of a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy. This monograph includes a Foreword by James Clark (University of York, UK).

Focusing on the key challenges that still impede the realization of the billion-ton renewable fuels vision, this book integrates technological development and business development rationales to highlight the key technological.developments that are necessary to industrialize biofuels on a global scale. Technological issues addressed in this work include fermentation and downstream processing technologies, as compared to current industrial practice and process economics. Business issues that provide the lens through which the technological review is performed span the entire biofuel value chain, from financial mechanisms to fund biotechnology start-ups in the biofuel arena up to large green field manufacturing projects, to raw material farming, collection and transport to the bioconversion plant, manufacturing, product recovery, storage, and transport to the point of sale. Emphasis has been placed throughout the book on providing a global view that takes into account the intrinsic characteristics of various biofuels markets from Brazil, the EU, the US, or Japan, to emerging economies as agricultural development and biofuel development appear undissociably linked.

This landmark book begins with the premise that an organization must often fundamentally transform its business practices and organizational culture to fully align with and realize the value of product and process innovations. The methods and practices that are set forth give readers the tools to create the essential organizational transformations needed to meet the challenges of a complex, rapidly evolving global economy. Enterprise Transformation is organized into four parts: * Introduction to Transformation begins with an introduction and overview of the book. It then features a systems-oriented view of transformation as well as a theo-retical perspective on the forces that propel transformation and the nature in which transformation is pursued. * Elements of Transformation addresses issues of transformational leadership and organizational and cultural change. Next, it examines transformation principles and case studies relevant to manufacturing, logistics, services, research and development, enterprise computing, and quality management. * Transformation Practices focuses on transformation planning and execution, financing, bankruptcy, tax issues, public relations, and the lessons learned from a variety of transformation experiences. * Transformation Case Studies features detailed studies of Newell Rubbermaid, Reebok, Lockheed Martin, and Interface. This part also considers transformation in academia with an overview of fundamental change at Georgia Tech. These case studies demonstrate the application of principles and practices and their results. The authors of this contributed work are senior executives, leading consultants, and respected academics. Their experience in leading enterprise transformation and supporting management teams is unparalleled. Managers and executives from all industries, as well as business students, will learn about the critical tools needed to transform their organizations to keep pace with market demands and surpass competitors.

Nature provides us with an abundance of chemical potential. Presenting an overview of the use of bioresources in the 21st century, Introduction to Chemicals from Biomass covers resources, chemical composition of biomass, key factors affecting composition, utilization of wastes, extraction technologies, controlled pyrolysis, fermentation, platform molecules, and green chemical technologies for their conversion to valuable chemicals. The text shows how smaller volume chemicals could become bulk chemicals as a result of a greater exploitation of biomass products, making it an important resource for academic and industrial scientists and researchers.