ABSTRACT
Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable carbon resource in the world. In 2012, the total amount of available lignocellulosic feedstock was 341 million tons. About 70% of this amount came from agricultural residues and 30% came from forest residues (Balan, 2014). Lignocellulosic biomass can be an important source of many reactive intermediates (platforms) that link feedstocks and final products, i.e. biofuels and chemicals (Sun & Cheng, 2002; Cherubini et al., 2009; Chundawat et al., 2011). To date, the costs of production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass (estimated based on energy equivalent) are two to three times higher than production of petroleum fuels (Carriquiry et al., 2011). To reduce their price, the logistical, financial, political and infrastructural barriers to using lignocellulose as a biofuel feedstock must be overcome (Hoekman, 2009).
