The catalytic hydrogenation of levulinic acid, a key platform molecule in many biorefinery schemes, into γ-valerolactone is considered as one of the pivotal reactions to convert lignocellulose-based biomass into renewable fuels and chemicals. Here we report on the development of highly active, selective and stable supported metal catalysts for this reaction and on the beneficial effects of meta...

Biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to advanced biofuels and other commodities through a sugar-platform process involves a pretreatment step enhancing the susceptibility of the cellulose to enzymatic hydrolysis. A side effect of pretreatment is formation of lignocellulose-derived by-products that inhibit microbial and enzymatic biocatalysts. This review provides an overview of ...

Biopolymers contained within or derived from plant biomass form by far the largest pool of soil carbon. The decomposition of lignocellulose in the soil environment thus attracts considerable attention. Lignocellulose is composed mainly of the polysaccharidic polymers cellulose and hemicelluloses, and the polyphenolic polymer lignin. During transformation in soils, humic substances (humus, humic...

Thirty-seven bacterial strains capable of degrading peanut hull lignin were isolated by using four types of lignin preparations and hot-water-extracted peanut hulls. One of the isolates, tentatively identified as Arthrobacter sp., was capable of utilizing all four lignin preparations as well as extracted peanut hulls as a sole source of carbon. The bacterium was also capable of degrading specif...

Microalgae contain valuable compounds that can be harnessed for industrial applications. Lignocellulose biomass is a plant material containing in abundance organic substances such as carbohydrates, phenolics, organic acids and other secondary compounds. As growth of microalgae on organic substances was confirmed during heterotrophic and mixotrophic cultivation, lignocellulose derived compounds ...

Microbial degradation of cellulose and lignocelluloses derivatives has received considerable attention towards bioremediation in recent years. The biological significance of lignin combined with the commercial utility of lignocellulose has generated widespread interest in understanding the biochemistry of lignocellulose degradation which is carried out by one of the copper containing oxidative ...

The study aims to investigate fungal community structures and dynamic changes in forest soil lignocellulose-degrading process. rRNA gene clone libraries for the samples collected in different stages of lignocellulose degradation process were constructed and analyzed. A total of 26 representative RFLP types were obtained from original soil clone library, including Mucoromycotina (29.5%), unclass...

Lignocellulose, composed mostly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin generated through secondary growth of woody plant, is considered as promising resources for biofuel. In order to use lignocellulose as a biofuel, biodegradation besides high-cost chemical treatments were applied, but knowledge on the decomposition of lignocellulose occurring in a natural environment is insufficient. We anal...

Lignocellulosic biofuels represent a sustainable, renewable, and the only foreseeable alternative energy source to transportation fossil fuels. However, the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose poses technical hurdles to an economically viable biorefinery. Low enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and low productivity, yield, and titer of biofuels are among the top cost contributors. Protein enginee...

Microbial degradation of lignocellulose has been intensively studied for decades. Interest in lignocellulose as a renewable resource prompted these investigations, although in recent years fungal enzymes have attracted much attention in pulp and paper manufacturing. Irrespective of considerable research effort, fundamental questions remain with regard to mechanisms of lignocellulose degradation...