Microbial conversion of waste biomass into bioethanol: current challenges and future prospects

Fast exhaustion of fossil fuel stocks, as well as problems allied with air pollution, has created a worldwide attention in searching for alternative, renewable lignocellulosic macromolecule–based sources of energy. Bioethanol is one of the valuable substitutes produced by fermentation process. It significantly reduces the consumption of fossil-based fuels and thereby the net carbon dioxide emission. The looming requirement for replacing the fuels based on fossils with a more eco-friendly renewable solution has created much attention in finding out abundant and cheap resources for biofuel production. The utilization of easily available, cheaper, and renewable lignocellulosics would make bioethanol more competitive than fossil fuels. Novel substrates, strain improvements, limited byproducts, product tolerance, and fermentation conditions have been drawing researchers’ attention to increase bioethanol productivity. The present paper discusses the bioethanol production from lignocellulosic-based renewable resources. It also focuses on present challenges and prospects for efficient bioethanol production.