Solid-state NMR characterization of switchgrass cellulose after dilute acid pretreatment

85 10.4155/BFS.09.17 © 2010 Future Science Ltd The development of low-cost, sustainable and low net carbon footprint renewable biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil fuels is a growing societal issue [1,2,101]. Fuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass, such as woody plants, forest residues and nonfood agroenergy crops are a viable alternative to fossil fuels and food-based biofuels [3–6]. Lignocellulosic biomass is a complex bioresource consisting primarily of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin [7]. Lignin–carbohydrate associations in biomass hinder the availability of cellulose for enzymatic deconstruction and contribute, in part, to biomass recalcitrance. The biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic materials to ethanol normally includes three processes: pretreatment, hydrolysis of polysaccharides to fermentable sugars and the fermentation of sugars to ethanol [8,9]. One promising way to address biomass recalcitrance is a pretreatment that may involve biological [10,11], chemical and physical treatments, such as uncatalyzed steam explosion [12,13], hot-water [14], dilute acid [15], lime [16] and ammonium fiber explosion [17]. Switchgrass is a sustainable herbaceous plant that is a promising biofuel crop due to its high mass yield per acre, broad adaptability, low agrochemical input and positive environmental effects [18–22]. Extensive research is ongoing to establish optimum pretreatment conditions for switchgrass. Suryawati et al. performed hydrothermolysis Biofuels (2010) 1(1), 85–90 Solid-state NMR characterization of switchgrass cellulose after dilute acid pretreatment