Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar - 125001, India.
1Department of Microbiology, CCS Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar - 125001, India.
Over the past few decades considerable research and development is directed towards understanding and commercialization of renewable energy sources. A process for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fuel alcohol involving pretreatment of the raw material, cellulase production, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of the hydrolysates has been developed. Research efforts directed towards understanding and manipulating the bioconversion process suggest that greater yields of ethanol can be achieved through process optimization. These studies have yielded considerable insights into the role that cellulase plays in the bioconversion process. Better understanding of the various pretreatments and molecular mechanisms at work in hydrolysis will make it possible to improvethe conversion, efficiency and economics of the bioconversion process.
