Ethanol can be produced from fermentable sugars, e.g.
C6-glucose derived from starch or cellulose from any lignocellulosic
biomass, for example, agricultural waste or forest
residues [3,4].
A major task in lignocellulosic bioethanol is the pretreatment
step, which is necessary to disrupt and open up the tight
lignocellulosic structure of cellulose, hemicelluloses and
lignin, facilitating further conversion into fermentable sugars
[5]. During hydrothermal pretreatment, the lignocellulosic
biomass is fractionated into a water-soluble hemicellulose
fraction and a solid fraction of cellulose and lignin, which is
then accessible for hydrolytic enzymes. Following or simultaneous
with an enzymatic hydrolysis the pretreated substrate