Skip to Main Content
Skip Nav Destination

Bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks, such as grass, wood, and agricultural residues, offer an attractive option for a sustainable energy source. Rapid development and deployment of cost-competitive 2nd generation biofuels has made considerable progress in recent years, however, key conversion steps remain technically challenging. Natural biomass utilization systems (NBUS) show potential for reverse-designing cost-effective biorefineries that consolidate biomass conversion steps – pretreatment, hydrolysis, and ethanol fermentation - into a single bioprocessing event. Insect digestive systems and those of ruminant animals represent the pinnacle of NBUS systems for elucidating lignocellulosic deconstruction mechanisms and novel biocatalyst discovery. Emergence of new ‘omics technologies and systems biology approaches have facilitated understanding of complex and dynamic symbiotic interactions between host and gut microbes. Furthermore, synthetic biology has demonstrated that biomass conversion metabolic processes can be integrated into organisms more suited for tolerating high temperatures and inhibitory compounds prevalent in current biomass conversion technologies.

You do not currently have access to this chapter, but see below options to check access via your institution or sign in to purchase.
Don't already have an account? Register
Close Modal

or Create an Account

Close Modal
Close Modal