Renewables-Based Technology: Sustainability Assessment Book

1	The contribution of renewables to society	3
2	The potential of renewables as a feedstock for chemistry and energy	19
3	Sustainability performance indicators	39
4	Life cycle inventory analysis applied to renewable resources	57
5	Net energy balancing and fuel-cycle analysis	73
6	Life cycle assessment as an environmental sustainability tool	87
7	Exergy	111
8	Material flow analysis and the use of renewables from a systems perspective	127
9	Ecological footprints and biocapacity : essential elements in sustainability assessment	143
10	The sustainable process index (SPI)	159
11	Assessment of sustainable land use in producing biomass	175
12	Assessment of the forest products industries	193
13	Assessment of the energy production industry : modern options for producing secondary energy carriers from biomass	209
14	Assessment of biofuels	231
15	Assessment of organic waste treatment	247
16	Oleochemical and petrochemical surfactants : an overall assessment	265
17	Assessment of bio-based packaging materials	281
18	Assessment of biotechnology-based chemicals	299
19	Assessment of bio-based pharmaceuticals : the cephalexin case	315
20	Conclusions	333