Pretreatment methods for lignocellulosic biofuels production: current advances, challenges and future prospects

Cheah, Wai Yan; Sankaran, Revathy; Show, Pau Loke; Ibrahim, Tg Nilam Baizura Tg; Chew, Kit Wayne; Culaba, Alvin B.; Chang, Jo Shu

doi:10.18331/brj2020.7.1.4

Cited by 224 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Non-food crops and agricultural waste present a target for the conversion of lignocellulose into ethanol as a second-generation biofuel, without the need for competition with food sources, such as corn and wheat ( Gupta and Verma, 2015 ). However, lignocellulose is extremely recalcitrant and difficult to break down in a cost-efficient manner ( Cheah et al, 2020 ). In 2019, the United States of America consumed approximately 541 billion liters of gasoline while only producing 60 billion liters of bioethanol (Renewable Fuels Association website for production) 1 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Potential for Biomass-Degrading Enzymes Revealed by Hot Spring Metagenomics

et al. 2021

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Enzyme stability and activity at elevated temperatures are important aspects in biotechnological industries, such as the conversion of plant biomass into biofuels. In order to reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of biomass conversion, better enzymatic processing must be developed. Hot springs represent a treasure trove of underexplored microbiological and protein chemistry diversity. Herein, we conduct an exploratory study into the diversity of hot spring biomass-degrading potential. We describe the taxonomic diversity and carbohydrate active enzyme (CAZyme) coding potential in 71 publicly available metagenomic datasets from 58 globally distributed terrestrial geothermal features. Through taxonomic profiling, we detected a wide diversity of microbes unique to varying temperature and pH ranges. Biomass-degrading enzyme potential included all five classes of CAZymes and we described the presence or absence of genes encoding 19 glycosyl hydrolases hypothesized to be involved with cellulose, hemicellulose, and oligosaccharide degradation. Our results highlight hot springs as a promising system for the further discovery and development of thermo-stable biomass-degrading enzymes that can be applied toward generation of renewable biofuels. This study lays a foundation for future research to further investigate the functional diversity of hot spring biomass-degrading enzymes and their potential utility in biotechnological processing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Potential for Biomass-Degrading Enzymes Revealed by Hot Spring Metagenomics

et al. 2021

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“…One of the main challenges in utilizing the second generation biofuels is the high energy consumption during the process of biofuel conversion. Second generation biomass requires a pre‐treatment step to break down the rigid recalcitrance structure of the lignocellulose biomass and this influences the cost difference between the first and second generation biofuels 92,95 . An evaluation of the cost reduction should be done for each of the pre‐treatment steps to improve the overall production process.…”

Section: Second Generation Biofuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of the four generations of biofuels – A review

et al. 2020

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Biofuel has emerged as an alternative source of energy to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and combat global warming. Biofuels are classified into first, second, third and fourth generations. Each of the biofuel generations aims to meet the global energy demand while minimizing environmental impacts. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the current generations without jeopardizing the needs of future generations. The aim of sustainability is to ensure continuous growth of the economy while protecting the environment and societal needs. Thus, this paper aims to evaluate the sustainability of these four generations of biofuels. The objectives are to compare the production of biofuel, the net greenhouse gases emissions, and energy efficiency. This study is important in providing information for the policymakers and researchers in the decision-making for the future development of green energy. Each of the biofuel generations shows different benefits and drawbacks. From this study, we conclude that the first generation biofuel has the highest biofuel production and energy efficiency, but is less effective in meeting the goal of reducing the greenhouse gases emission. The third generation biofuel shows the lowest net greenhouse gases emissions, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, the energy required for the processing of the third generation biofuel is higher and, this makes it less environmentally friendly as fossil fuels are used to generate electricity. The third and fourth generation feedstocks are the potential sustainable source for the future production of biofuel. However, more studies need to be done to find an alternative low cost for biofuel production while increasing energy efficiency.

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“…While the use of enzymes offers a promising option for unlocking the usefulness in lignocellulosic biomass, without pre-treatment, lignin remains a barrier that makes it impossible to reach cellulose which will undergo further enzymatic action and then be converted to fermentable sugars [102]. Pre-treatment is considered by many to be the most expensive processing step throughout the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars [101].…”

Section: Challenges Impeding the Use Of Lignocellulolytic Enzymesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lignocellulolytic Enzymes in Biotechnological and Industrial Processes: A Review

et al. 2020

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Tons of anthropological activities contribute daily to the massive amount of lignocellulosic wastes produced annually. Unfortunately, their full potential usually is underutilized, and most of the biomass ends up in landfills. Lignocellulolytic enzymes are vital and central to developing an economical, environmentally friendly, and sustainable biological method for pre-treatment and degradation of lignocellulosic biomass which can lead to the release of essential end products such as enzymes, organic acids, chemicals, feed, and biofuel. Sustainable degradation of lignocellulosic biomass via hydrolysis is achievable by lignocellulolytic enzymes, which can be used in various applications, including but not limited to biofuel production, the textile industry, waste treatment, the food and drink industry, personal care industry, health and pharmaceutical industries. Nevertheless, for this to materialize, feasible steps to overcome the high cost of pre-treatment and lower operational costs such as handling, storage, and transportation of lignocellulose waste need to be deployed. Insight on lignocellulolytic enzymes and how they can be exploited industrially will help develop novel processes that will reduce cost and improve the adoption of biomass, which is more advantageous. This review focuses on lignocellulases, their use in the sustainable conversion of waste biomass to produce valued-end products, and challenges impeding their adoption.

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Pretreatment methods for lignocellulosic biofuels production: current advances, challenges and future prospects

Cited by 224 publications

References 62 publications

High Potential for Biomass-Degrading Enzymes Revealed by Hot Spring Metagenomics

High Potential for Biomass-Degrading Enzymes Revealed by Hot Spring Metagenomics

Sustainability of the four generations of biofuels – A review

Lignocellulolytic Enzymes in Biotechnological and Industrial Processes: A Review

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