Alternative fuels /

Lee has written an excellent treatment of the many types of chemical processes used to produce or improve fuels for various energy needs. (The title is somewhat of a misnomer as two thirds of the book is devoted to coal, not considered an alternative fuel.) Many of the usual options--solar, wind, tidal and energy conservation--are missing, and nuclear energy is dismissed as politically and environmentally unpopular. The author believes that coal, which in 1994 held 57 percent of the electrical generation market, will continue to be the dominant fuel well into the 21st century. His primary focus is on "environmentally friendly use of coal as a clean solid fuel as well as alternative uses of coal and its products via emerging process routes ...." There is a global energy overview, as well as material on coal, derivatives, coal products, and coal gasification; synthesis of syngas; fuels and petrochemicals; coal liquefaction; integrated gasification combined cycle technology; coal slurry fuel; oil shale and shale oil; tar sands; geothermal energy; biomass conversion; and energy from solid waste. Many charts, tables, and illustrations; extensive chapter bibliographies. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. J. C. Comer emeritus, Northern Illinois University