Strategies involved in biofuel production from agro-based lignocellulose biomass

Abstract

Second-generation biofuels produced from lignocellulose biomass (LCB) have the potential to compete with fossil fuels, provided that appropriate cost-effective and efficient technologies are used in the production process. As agriculture is practiced all over the world and millions of tons of biomass are produced every year, the production of biofuel from such wastes could be an environmentally friendly approach to meet the increasing energy demand. Biofuel production is quite a challenging process involving several technologies and methods that need to be employed for maximum conversion of complex lignocellulose into functional biofuel. This review provides insight into the various strategies, including upstream and downstream, involved in the production of biofuels from agriculturally produced LCB. For decades, numerous researches have been conducted worldwide to find the best strategies for biofuel production. This has led to several recent advances that help to achieve maximum biofuel production in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective system. To complete the overview, the analysis of the impact of biofuel production has also been discussed in this review. • Cost effective and environment friendly strategies important for biofuel generation. • Agriculture based lignocellulose biomass may be used as cheap biofuel substrate. • Choosing correct pretreatment strategies may influence biofuel production. • Proper pretreatment and production system combination influence biofuel production.