ABSTRACT
Since the late 20th century, the concept of bio-based molecules has become more important (Clark and Deswarte, 2008). Those molecules derived from biomass through transformation routes such as extraction, thermochemical, chemical, biological, and hybrid can be used as building blocks to obtain added-value chemicals, biofuels, and biomaterials, among others. However, in recent biofuels-driven projects, using biomass as a raw material to obtain bioenergy and replacing the fossil fuels continues to be the leading strategy (Clark and Deswarte, 2008). This chapter reviews the most used feedstocks and technologies to produce bioethanol as the main biofuel to date and takes account of the implementation of new advances in its production through integrated biorefinery concept.
