The crucial step in the production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass is pretreatment. Pretreatment affords the solubilization or separation of the major components of biomass ie cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and thus render the digestibility of lignocellulosic material. The choice of pretreatment should consider the overall compatibility of feedstocks, enzymes and organisms to be applied. Pretreatment is not only costly in its own right but has a pervasive impact on the cost of virtually all other biological processing operations, including those preceding
pretreatment, the handling of the liquid stream generated, the processing of the solids from pretreatment, waste treatment, and potential production of co-products. To implement successfully the bioethanol production process, the first impediment to be resolved is the efficient removal of lignin and hemicellulose through a cost
effective pretreatment process.