ABSTRACT
Increasing environmental concerns and depletion of fossil fuels lead to a search for alternative sources of energy. Lignocellulosic biomass is abundantly available, does not compete with food, and serves as a potential candidate for the production of second-generation biofuels. Several physical, chemical, structural, and compositional factors limit enzymatic saccharication of cellulose present in the lignocellulosic biomass. In order to develop an economically viable ethanol conversion process, netuning of pretreatment, enzymatic saccharication, and fermentation is required. Several research and developmental activities are going on in this direction. Since there is a wide diversity in the composition of lignocellulosic biomass, tailor-made pretreatment strategies are to be developed for each biomass to obtain a better cellulose conversion rate.
