Plant Bioproducts, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2018

Among the major challenges facing society today, seeking renewable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and manufactured goods is critically important to reducing society?s dependency on petroleum and tackling environmental issues associated with petroleum use. In recent years there has been considerable research targeted toward the development of plant-derived bioproducts to replace petrochemical feedstocks for both fuel and manufacturing. Plants not only provide a large amount of renewable biomass, but their biochemical diversity also offers many chemical and molecular tools for the production of new products through biotechnology. 

Plant Bioproducts is an introduction to the production and application of plant bioproducts, including biofuels, bioplastics, and biochemicals for the manufacturing sector. Contributing authors examine various bioproducts with respect to their basic chemistry, relationship to current petrochemical-based products, and strategies for their production in plants. Chapters cover the integrated roles of agronomy, plant breeding, biotechnology, and biorefining in the context of bioproduct development. Environmental, economic, ethical, and social issues surrounding bioproducts, including the use of genetically modified crops, challenges to food security, and consumer acceptance, are also covered. 

Chapter 1: Building a case for plant bioproducts

Randall J. Weselake, Guanqun Chen and Stacy D. Singer

Chapter 2: Introduction to plant biomolecules and cellular metabolism

Randall J. Weselake, Stacy D. Singer and Guanqun Chen

Chapter 3: An integrated approach to plant bioproduct production

Randall J. Weselake, Stacy Singer and Guanqun Chen

Chapter 4: Production of biodiesel from plant oils

Stacy D. Singer and Randall J. Weselake

Chapter 5: Production of other bioproducts from plant oils

Stacy D. Singer and Randall J. Weselake

Chapter 6: Plant carbohydrates and production of renewable biofuel from starch, sugarand cellulose

Lucas J. Falarz, Michael K. Deyholos and Guanqun Chen

Chapter 7: Materials and related bioproducts from plant carbohydrates

Lucas J. Falarz, Michael K. Deyholos and Guanqun Chen

Chapter 8: Properties of plant proteins

Muhammad Arif and K. Peter Pauls

Chapter 9: Protein-based bioproducts

Muhammad Arif, Loo-Sar Chia and K. Peter Pauls

Chapter 10: Biomass-derived building block chemicals

Lucas J. Falarz, Stacy D. Singer and Guanqun Chen

Chapter 11: Biorefinery of plant-based products

Youn Young Shim , Shahram Emami, Kornsulee Ratanapariyanuch and Martin J.T.Reaney

Chapter 12: The food versus feed/fuel debate

Guanqun (Gavin) Chen is an Assistant Professor of Plant Lipid Biotechnology in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Manitoba from May 2017. He is well recognized for his contributions to the development of biotechnological strategies for producing specialty fatty acids and functional oils in microorganisms and plants. He received his Bachelor of biochemical engineering and MMaster of fermentation engineering at Tianjin University of Science & Technology (Tianjin China) and PhD in Plant Biotechnology at The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China), respectively, and served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Alberta before he started his career at the University of Manitoba as an Assistant Professor (2015-2017), where he developed and taught a senior level course Plants for Industrial Uses. Gavin has rich research experience in applied microbiology, molecular biology, and lipid biotechnology and his work has been published in dozens of peer-reviewed papers. 

Randall J. Weselake is a Professor Emeritus with the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). Randall has over 30 years of experience in the in the biochemistry and molecular biology of storage lipid metabolism in oil crops and other oleaginous plant species. In addition, he has conducted research on lipid metabolism in yeast and livestock.  Randall held a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Agricultural Lipid Biotechnology at the University of Alberta from 2005 to 2016. During his tenure there, Randall developed and taught a senior level course dealing with plant bioproducts. From 2010-2016, Randall served as Scientific Director of the Alberta Innovates Phytola Centre which specialized in oilseed innovations, including research and development of industrial oil crops. In addition, Ra