Biomass Pretreatment for Biofuel Production

Abstract

Volatile oil prices and an increasing world demand for energy exemplifies the critical need for renewable sources of energy, particularly in the transportation sector, which can displace a significant fraction of fossil fuels imports. Following a shift in focus from first generation starch- and sugar-based feedstocks to second generation lignocellulosic biomass, a multitude of biomass pretreatment techniques and processes has been developed to facilitate the bioconversion of plant structural carbohydrates to fermentable sugars (for biofuels production). The state-of-the-art advancements to date in the pretreatment of second generation feedstocks have been considered, with an emphasis on the maximum yields and barriers of each technology. A brief discussion on the biorefinery concept, its applications, and the potential future of biofuels has also been included. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2012.