Preface to the Second Edition

Five years have passed since the first edition of The Biodiesel Handbook was published. These years have seen a significant increase in biodiesel production around the world, followed by a decrease in many significant biodiesel-producing countries, due partially to the general economic climate as well as changing legislative and regulatory environments. We are optimistic that as the world economy recovers biodiesel production will increase and exceed previous levels. In the meantime, research on biodiesel has not only continued unabated but has increased significantly, rendering a necessary update of The Biodiesel Handbook. The outline of the book remains the same as that of the first edition. We hope that this second edition incorporates the major research and other developments in the world of biodiesel in a comprehensive fashion and that the reader may find it useful. As mentioned in the preface to the first edition, any reader noticing an error or inconsistency or having a suggestion for improving this book is encouraged to contact us. The second edition has again been compiled from the contributions of many authors, who graciously agreed to do so. We are very grateful to all of them. Last but not least, we again express our sincere and deep appreciation to the staff of AOCS Press for their professionalism and cooperation.

Gerhard Knothe Jrgen Krahl Jon Van Gerpen