Harold H. Schobert is Professor Emeritus of Fuel Science, Pennsylvania State University, and Extraordinary Professor, Coal Research Group, North-West University. A recognized leading authority on energy technology, he has over 30 years of experience in teaching and research on fuel chemistry.

• 1. Fuels and the global carbon cycle; 2. Catalysis, enzymes and proteins; 3. Photosynthesis and the formation of polysaccharides; 4. Ethanol; 5. Plant oils and biodiesel; 6. Composition and reactions of wood; 7. Reactive intermediates; 8. Formation of fossil fuels; 9. Structure-property relationships among hydrocarbons; 10. Composition, properties and processing of natural gas; 11. Composition, properties and classification of petroleum; 12. Petroleum distillation; 13. Heterogeneous catalysis; 14. Catalytic routes to gasoline; 15. Middle distillate fuels; 16. Thermal processing in refining; 17. Composition, properties and classification of coals; 18. The inorganic chemistry of coals; 19. Production of synthetic gas; 20. Gas treatment and shifting; 21. Uses of synthetic gas; 22. Direct production of liquid fuels from coal pyrolysis; 23. Carbonization and coking of coal; 24. Carbon products from fossil and biofuels; 25. Carbon dioxide.

'This well-organized, well-written, and fact-laden book is the product of mounting societal attention to the consequences of the the use of carbon fuels for global climate change … an authoritative and detailed explication of the life history of fossil and renewable biofuels … Full understanding of this material will require an undergraduate acquaintance with organic chemistry … Highly recommended.' T. R. Blackburn, Choice