With increasing fuel costs, diminishing fossil fuel reserves and climate change, there is much interest in biofuels. Alan Scragg's book makes an invaluable contribution to understanding the problems and the possible solutions.

Eight chapters cover Energy and Fossil Fuel Use, Consequences of Burning Fossil Fuel, Mitigation of Global Warming, Biological Solid Fuels, Gaseous Biofuels, Liquid Biofuels to Replace Petrol, Liquid Biofuels to Replace Diesel, and The Benefits and Deficiencies of Biofuels. An excellent list of references and a detailed index follow.

The casual reader will find much of interest but this technically detailed book is of greatest value to professionals. The science of biofuels and their development is one of almost daily change. Nevertheless, this is a very up-to-date publication.

Important issues include the need for further and rapid technical progress, the requirements to improve sources of biomass and their biochemical processes, and to do likewise for those organisms necessary to process these sources into usable fuels. Rapid and effective progress requires the use of plant breeding and GM technology. Microalgal oil production is especially interesting, with its reduced requirement for agricultural land. In addition to developing usable, efficient biofuels, the need is stressed for a cost-efficient fuel delivery infrastructure. Examination of ‘well to wheel’ energy balances indicates that that not all biofuels are commercially viable. The introduction of biofuels will have to be encouraged by a less punitive tax regime, with the inevitable impact on tax revenue. Also highlighted is the dilemma which politicians face over the potential food versus fuel scenario.

The book is a worthy addition to the literature.