The use of renewable raw materials as a source of chemicals,
materials, and energy is expected to increase in the foreseeable
future due to the gradual depletion of fossil fuels. In this scenario,
the development of new products and materials from lignocellulosic
biomass in connection with emerging biorefinery strategies
will be promoted. The concept of wood biorefinery comprises the
selective separation of the three main polymeric wood components
cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and their subsequent utilization
for the production of fuels, high value-added chemicals, and
other related products. Cellulose and hemicellulose fractions can
be readily used for the production of pulp, as a source of sugars
for fermentation to produce pure chemicals, or as biofuels after
further conversion processes. However, the efficient utilization of
lignin presents an ongoing challenge (Ragauskas et al., 2014).