Lignocellulose Biotechnology Future Prospects

The waste residues from agricultural crops and from agro- and forest-based industrial processes are abundant, and along with grass and weeds they constitute a major part of the biomass available on the planet. Biomass in the form of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin provides a means of collecting and storing energy, and hence represents a vital energy and material resource. If not used wisely, the waste can cause environmental pollution. But utilised carefully with sound scientific and economic sense, the waste can be converted into a multitude of commercial purposes. Industries are either developing or adopting new microbiological processes to expand and develop their range of products. Knowledge and control of microbiological processes provide a base for developing alternate and environmentally benign methods for producing such various materials as hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, organic acids, ethanol, microbial lipids, protein and animal feed. This book contains the latest techniques and uses of lignocellulose biotechnology, with updates from leading international contributors. It will be an excellent resource for students and academics across a wide range of disciplines, as well as a reference for professionals and scientists working in agriculture, forestry, food science and biotechnology.