Synopsis The 1970s saw a revolution in thinking about energy supplies. No longer were they regarded as cheap, expandable and practically inexhaustible. The ‘Oil crisis’ of 1973 led to the realization that fossils fuels were finite, precious, and likely to be increasingly expensive. Although much of the world continued to depend on animal power for motive energy, and on wood, charcoal, animal dung for fuel, unexceptionably in the middle of the present century. Many developed countries are expected to use more coal in the near future, as oil supplies have dwindled. In order to prevent environmental damage researchers had sought technologies for fuel pre-treatment, controlled combustion processes and flue-gas denu-clearization to ensure that increased coal burning did not lead to greater sulphur-oxide emissions. The book is expected to serve as a useful manual for all environmentalists, industries, students and researchers on environment and for all those who are concerned with ecology, agriculture, sanitation, health and hygiene.