ABSTRACT
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. L.) is a perennial monocotyledonous crop widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world as a major source for raw sugar. It is estimated that 70% of the global sugar production is from sugarcane and the rest is from sugar beet cultivated in temperate regions (Manners 2011). In addition, sugarcane has long been used for ethanol production in Brazil by the fermentation of sugarcane juice (Lam et al. 2009; Waclawovsky et al. 2010). Due to the limited amount of fossil fuel left in nature, there is an increasing consensus among scientists and governments to incorporate lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for biofuel production. Although the idea of using biomass for biofuel production has long been a subject among scientists (Lipinsky 1978; Grassl 1980; Clark et al. 1981), it now seems more economically feasible than ever before.
