Thinking Big: Towards Ideal Strains and Processes for Large-Scale Aerobic Biofuels Production

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11 Scopus Citations

Abstract

Global concerns about anthropogenic climate change, energy security and independence, and environmental consequences of continued fossil fuel exploitation are driving significant public and private sector interest and financing to hasten development and deployment of processes to produce renewable fuels, as well as bio-based chemicals and materials, towards scales commensurate with current fossil fuel-based production. Over the past two decades, anaerobic microbial production of ethanol from first-generation hexose sugars derived primarily from sugarcane and starch has reached significant market share worldwide, with fermentation bioreactor sizes often exceeding the million litre scale. More recently, industrial-scale lignocellulosic ethanol plants are emerging that produce ethanol from pentose and hexose sugars using genetically engineered microbes and bioreactor scales similar to first-generation biorefineries.
Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)40-42
Number of pages3
JournalMicrobial Biotechnology
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2017

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/JA-5100-67749

Keywords

  • bio-based products
  • biofuels
  • production

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