Author(s)

Fabiano Avelino Gonçalves, Eliana J. Sanjinez-Argandona, Gustavo Graciano Fonseca

Laboratory of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Brazil;.
Laboratory of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Brazil;Laboratory of Food Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Brazil.
Laboratory of Food Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Brazil.

Cellulosic ethanol involves the following production steps: physical and/or chemical pretreatment, biological treatment, fermentation and distillation. First three steps are also the bottlenecks for the production of cellulosic ethanol and its co-products. Their production still pose some difficulties in terms of pretreatment, the high cost of enzymes for substrate hydrolysis, the formation of inhibitory compounds in the hydrolyzate, the lack of efficient and viable microorganisms for industrial fermentation of hexose and pentose among others. The solution or minimization of these difficulties may lead to numerous socio-environmental, political, and economic advantages for cellulosic ethanol production. This paper highlights the potential of different substrates, pretreatments, microorganisms and bioprocesses for cellulosic ethanol production.

Cellulosic Ethanol; Pretreatments; Fermentation

Gonçalves, F. , Sanjinez-Argandona, E. and Fonseca, G. (2013) Cellulosic ethanol and its co-products from different substrates, pretreatments, microorganisms and bioprocesses: A review. Natural Science, 5, 624-630. doi: 10.4236/ns.2013.55077.