Conversion of plant cell walls to ethanol constitutes second generation bioethanol production. The process consists of several steps: biomass selection/genetic modification, physiochemical pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, fermentation and separation. Ultimately, it is desirable to combine as many of the biochemical steps as possible in a single organism to achieve CBP (consolidated bioprocessing). A commercially ready CBP organism is currently unreported. Production of second generation bioethanol is hindered by economics, particularly in the cost of pretreatment (including waste management and solvent recovery), the cost of saccharification enzymes (particularly exocellulases and endocellulases displaying kcat ~1 s−1 on crystalline cellulose), and the inefficiency of co-fermentation of 5- and 6-carbon monosaccharides (owing in part to redox cofactor imbalances in Saccharomyces cerevisiae).
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March 2012
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Review Article|
February 13 2012
Plant cell walls to ethanol
Douglas B. Jordan;
Douglas B. Jordan
1
*USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL 61604, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email douglas.jordan@ars.usda.gov).
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Michael J. Bowman;
Michael J. Bowman
*USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL 61604, U.S.A.
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Jay D. Braker;
Jay D. Braker
*USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL 61604, U.S.A.
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Bruce S. Dien;
Bruce S. Dien
*USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL 61604, U.S.A.
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Ronald E. Hector;
Ronald E. Hector
*USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL 61604, U.S.A.
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Charles C. Lee;
Charles C. Lee
†USDA Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA 94710, U.S.A.
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Jeffrey A. Mertens;
Jeffrey A. Mertens
*USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL 61604, U.S.A.
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Kurt Wagschal
Kurt Wagschal
†USDA Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA 94710, U.S.A.
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Biochem J (2012) 442 (2): 241–252.
Article history
Received:
October 28 2011
Revision Received:
November 30 2011
Accepted:
December 02 2011
Citation
Douglas B. Jordan, Michael J. Bowman, Jay D. Braker, Bruce S. Dien, Ronald E. Hector, Charles C. Lee, Jeffrey A. Mertens, Kurt Wagschal; Plant cell walls to ethanol. Biochem J 1 March 2012; 442 (2): 241–252. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20111922
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