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New lignocellulose pretreatments using cellulose solvents: a review
Author(s) -
Sathitsuksanoh Noppadon,
George Anthe,
Zhang YH Percival
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.3959
Subject(s) - cellulose , hemicellulose , lignin , lignocellulosic biomass , biomass (ecology) , chemistry , hydrolysis , pulp and paper industry , enzymatic hydrolysis , biofuel , substrate (aquarium) , organic chemistry , biorefinery , cellulase , chemical engineering , raw material , waste management , agronomy , engineering , biology , oceanography , geology
Non‐food lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable bioresource as a collectable, transportable, and storable chemical energy that is far from fully utilized. The goal of biomass pretreatment is to improve the enzymatic digestibility of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. Many substrate factors, such as substrate accessibility, lignin content, particle size and so on, contribute to its recalcitrance. Cellulose accessibility to hydrolytic enzymes is believed to be the most important substrate characteristic limiting enzymatic hydrolysis. Cellulose solvents effectively break linkages among cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, and also dissolve highly‐ordered hydrogen bonds in cellulose fibers accompanied with great increases in substrate accessibility. Here the history and recent advances in cellulose solvent‐based biomass pretreatment are reviewed and perspectives provided for addressing remaining challenges. The use of cellulose solvents, new and existing, provides opportunities for emerging biorefineries to produce a few precursors (e.g. monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and lignin) for the production of low‐value biofuels and value‐added biochemicals. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry