Designed as a practical introduction to biogas plant design and operation, the author covers both the biological and technical aspects of biogas generation. <p> The full range of biogas substrates and processing modes is explained, from agricultural and industrial waste to marine algae and sediment. On-site use of biogas for conversion into electricity, fuel and heat is also discussed, as are safety and regulatory issues. Dozens of real-life examples of European biogas plants already in operation illustrate the contents, as do numerous schemes, diagrams and summary tables. <p> For the new edition, the authors have included recent advances in the processing of biomass that allows a greater range of substrates to be used, biogas analytics and quality control required for feeding biogas into natural gas networks, and a completely new chapter on the microbiology of biogas-producing bacterial communities.