Abstract
The production of so-called advanced bioethanol offers several advantages compared to traditional bioethanol production processes in terms of sustainability criteria. This includes, for instance, the use of nonfood crops or residual biomass as raw material and a higher potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The present review focuses on the recent progress related to the production of advanced bioethanol, (i) highlighting current results from using novel biomass sources such as the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and certain industrial residues (e.g., residues from the paper, food, and beverage industries); (ii) describing new developments in pretreatment technologies for the fractionation and conversion of lignocellulosic biomass, such as the bioextrusion process or the use of novel ionic liquids; (iii) listing the use of new enzyme catalysts and microbial strains during saccharification and fermentation processes. Furthermore, the most promising biorefinery approaches that will contribute to the cost-competitiveness of advanced bioethanol production processes are also discussed, focusing on innovative technologies and applications that can contribute to achieve a more sustainable and effective utilization of all biomass fractions. Special attention is given to integrated strategies such as lignocellulose-based biorefineries for the simultaneous production of bioethanol and other high added value bioproducts.
Highlights
Biomass recalcitrance is one of the most important factors to consider during advanced bioethanol production as it highly affects the accessibility of carbohydrates and prevents the release of fermentable sugars
A great part of the R&D effort carried out in the field of lignocellulose biorefinery (LB) has been focused on fuels and other energy-related products, with the cellulosic ethanol as one of the most significant examples of progress made in this field; nowadays, it is close to full commercialization
The strong efforts made in recent decades in research and development of the production of advanced bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass through biochemical conversion processes has resulted in this biofuel being a key element to meet the foreseen demand of bioethanol in the future
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Fuel ethanol is mainly produced from food-related crops such as sugarcane, corn, wheat, and barley This production has been known as first-generation (1G) bioethanol and the technology is mature at the industrial level. Energy (RED II) establishes that conventional food-based biofuels, including bioethanol, will be limited at a maximum of 7% of final consumption of energy in the road and rail transport sector in 2030 [6]. This scenario has paved the way for the introduction of the so-called advanced biofuels that are produced from nonfood biomass materials such as lignocellulosic feedstocks. In spite of the continuing research effort and large investments being made in the US and Europe to speed up the development of this route, it is still necessary to improve the cost-competitiveness of cellulosic ethanol through the introduction of innovative processes and advanced methodological approaches that result in enhanced production yields and reduced costs
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