ABSTRACT
Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant renewable energy source. Energy crops such as switchgrass and sweet sorghum have been widely investigated. As biomass is characterized by a low energy density, conversion of biomass into different energy products is essential. The conversion of biomass into bioenergy products such as ethanol and syngas involves the interaction between chemical and physical processes. Experiments at a large scale are often expensive and complicated. Mathematical models can provide economical and powerful tools for the design and optimization of biomass production and conversion. Mathematical models have been widely used to simulate all aspects of bioenergy production systems including the growth kinetics of energy crops (van den Broek et al., 2001), conversion processes (Gomez-Barea and Leckner, 2010), production
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 67 3.2 Computer Models for Biomass Production .............................................................................68
