Image via Wikipedia The production of biofuels from lignocellulosic feedstocks can be achieved through two very different processing routes. They are: Biochemical – in which enzymes and other micro-organisms are used to convert cellulose and hemicellulose components of the feedstocks to sugars prior to their fermentation to produce ethanol; Thermo-chemical – where pyrolysis/gasification technologies produce a synthesis gas (CO + H 2 ) from which a wide range of long carbon chain biofuels, such as synthetic diesel or aviation fuel, can be reformed. Lignocellulosic biomass consists mainly of lignin and the polysaccharides cellulose and hemicellulose. Compared with the production of ethanol from first-generation feedstocks, the use of lignocellulosic biomass is more complicated because the polysaccharides are more stable and the pentose sugars are not readily fermentable by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to convert lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels the ...
Powering Sustainable Future