Biomass Pre-treatment Methods and Their Economic Viability for Efficient Production of Biofuel

Development of sustainable technology for bioenergy/biofuel generation using lignocellulosic biomass is of prime importance in the present day research. An economically viable technology for production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass will certainly provide opportunity to the non-oil producing countries to refrain from deprivation of fuel and explore the concept of bio-refineries for complete utilization of the feedstock. Biomass feedstock is abundant in the form of network of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin and hence the name lignocellulose. The structure and composition of lignocellulosic biomass is a major hindrance in its complete digestibility into fermentable monomer sugars. Reports are in the literature indicating that pre-treatment of biomass from wood and grasses can increase the yield of sugars upto 90%. Here, we have reviewed various technologies and methods for the pre-treatment of biomass with emphasis on their advantages and disadvantages with respect to the production of biofuel. Also, capital expense (CAPEX) and operational expense (OPEX) is considered to assess the economic viability of the technology.