Hydrolases from microorganisms used for degradation of plant cell wall and bioenergy

Abstract

The first consideration one should be aware of regarding biomass is what it exactly means. The definition of biomass has received different meanings during the course of the years, since it was first used in the 1930s. Currently, it differs according to the purpose of its use. Biologically and etymologically, biomass encompasses everything which is alive on Earth. A broader definition would include the three domains of life - Archaea, Eukarya, and Bacteria - they being alive or dead, along with their wastes. However, some other definitions exclude water, considering biomass as being the dry weight of living beings and their wastes; others claim biomass means the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), aquaculture, forestry and related industries, the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste as well as waste water sludge. Lastly, biomass can also be defined as mass provided by living and/or dead plants only. From an energetic approach, biomass is every renewable resource from organic matter which can be used to produce energy. Consequently, all these different ways to define biomass can lead to multi-interpretations of single information. Additionally, we could incur in the mistake of calculating the total biomass of a unit or place without any life in it. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.