This thesis "The influence of composition on biomass energy conversion efficiency in the gas combustion engine" deals with the matter of obtaining energy from biomass to propel engines. It describes the historical development and use of the wood gas treatment process for its production of biomass from the beginning of this discovery up to the use and large scale implementation around the world. The last section presents several experiments with different types of biomass and an experiment to determine the energy obtained in a simple gas combustion engine. Construction of a prototype is part of this thesis.

The thesis discusses the use of biomass for electricity island operation. The first chapter explains the concept of biomass and its distribution. It also shows the potential and availability of biomass. The second chapter describes the transformation of biomass into a suitable fuel form. The third to fifth chapter describes the conversion of biomass as a fuel into electrical energy through combustion, Stirling and steam engine. In these chapters there are brought the following parameters and prices of these motors and single-phase and three-phase alternators that can be connected to these engines. Other chapters describe the production of electricity in line with consumption, where the cost per hour to run engines for the various types of fuel and price of the electricity produced in kilowatt hours is calculated. In the last chapter of the thesis there is described the possibility of accumulation of electrical energy.

The master thesis deals with the design of environment friendly boarding house, which is located on a hill in a small village called Chlumětín. There are designed renewable energy sources, such as solar collectors or fotovoltaic panels. The first part deals with the design and layout of the boarding house. On the ground floor is solved, the design of the kitchen according to hygienic requirements, the design of the premises for guests with barrier-free toilets. In the attic are designed guest rooms including barrier-free room. The second part deals with the simplified design of building services. It includes rainwater management, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, lighting, cooling and heating. The third part deals with the detailed design of heating in the building. It includes design of radiator power, pipe dimension, power of wood-gas boiler, storage tanks, pumps, etc.

This thesis investigate Swedish policy-making concerning promotion of wood gas and ethanol distilled from fermented sulphite lye as domestic fuel alternatives in the Interwar years and World War II. With a departure point in the theories of social constructions of technology (SCOT), the sociology of expectations and Thomas P. Hughe’s socio-technical systems I analyse the measures that were undertaken in these efforts, the arguments put forward for and against the ethanol and wood gas projects and how the efforts turned out. I also investigate how the interpretations of ethanol and wood gas as fuel alternatives changed from the Interwar period on through World War II and what consequences this had for ethanol and wood gas policy immediately after World War II. Source material includes Parliament and Government records, cabinet meeting files, governmental commissions, authority archives, technical evaluations and handbooks and scientific medical publications. Ethanol and wood gas were promoted from a nationalist vantage point. The Interwar debate was imbued with visions of national techno-scientific prowess in a perceived ongoing global contest for technological and scientific advancement, of which achieving autarky, self-sufficiency on important raw materials and industrial products, was an ideal for some. Ethanol and wood gas were also promoted as means for creating a lucrative new market for the forestry industry, which also held a prominent position in nationalist visions of technology. Expectations of a new war also motivated the promotion of ethanol and wood gas as national fuels. Measures for promotion included tax exemptions, sales guarantees and legislation for mandatory ethanol purchase for all petrol importing companies and gasifier loan funds. Political conflicts mainly centred around the principles of free trade as opposed to protectionism, proper use of tax funds and whether the potentials of the fuel alternatives were rhetorically exaggerated. During World War II ethanol and wood gas in particular served as important petrol surrogates. The increased wood gas use led to negative interpretations of wood gas a fuel alternative due to its hazardous, dirty and time-consuming maintenance and the changed driving behaviour it required from its users compared to petrol or ethanol fuelled automobiles. Compared to wood gas, ethanol was appreciated for its socio-technical similarities to petrol, but production was after the war deemed difficult to maintain during wartime. Whereas wood gas remained an important stand-by surrogate during the cold war, Swedish politicians lost interest in ethanol of the kind that was promoted in the Interwar years. / Fuel of the Future? A Research Programme on the Science, Technology and Selling of Biofuels in Sweden