Technological aspects of lignocellulose conversion into biofuels: Key challenges and practical solutions

Abstract

Biofuels produced from crops have been the driving force in renewable energies since many years. In the first decade of the 21st century, there was a major focus on the debate of food versus fuel. Reports made by various national and international agencies, concluded that the food commodity prices were being impacted by consumption for the production of biofuels. Lignocellulosic biomass is an attractive renewable resource for future fuel. Efficiently and cost-effectively production of bioethanol from various lignocellulosic biomass, not only depends on the development of a suitable pretreatment system but also on other technological aspects with engineered feedstock. The aim of this chapter is to summerize and critically review on existing pretreatment method which is highly efficient due to engineering the feedstock as well as effectively using biocatalytic hydrolysis of various lignocellulosic biomass materials. The success behind this lignocellulosic bioethanol is depend on the modern technological development of pretreatment technologies as well as advanced conversion processes within the line of process intensification strategies.