The growing concern in finding alternative energy sources and reducing the use of fossil fuels requires a transition from non-renewable carbon sources to renewable resources, such as lignocellulosic biomass. Pennisetum purpureum, also known as elephant grass, belongs to the family Graminae (Poaceae) [1]. It is a tropical species presenting C4 metabolism and high productivity, yielding approximately 45 t of dry matter/ha/year, whereas sugar cane and corn yield approximately 21 t (sugar and bagasse) and 13 t (grain and stover), respectively [2]. C4 plants capture carbon dioxide much more efficiently than the traditional C3 crop and woody plants, due to differences in internal leaf anatomy and photosynthetic biochemistry [3].
Traditional forage species, e.g. elephant grass (P. purpureum Schum.), are also likely to have utility for the production of energy due to it being a tall perennial grass reaching over 3 m high. In addition, the biomass yields range between 12 and 150 Mg/ha/year depending on fertility, management and the cultivars, and can be harvested up to four times a year, which makes this plant one of the most promising crops for energy use [4] and [5]. Such productivity makes elephant grass an interesting biomass source to produce second-generation ethanol.
However, three bottlenecks still need to be overcome to make the production of second-generation ethanol economically viable: (1) pre-treatment of biomass, (2) the high cost of enzymes for enzymatic hydrolysis [6] and [7], and (3) the fermentation of pentoses from hemicellulose hydrolysis [8].
Cellulases and xylanases are required in large quantities for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. The cellulase complex consists of three key enzymes: endoglucanases, which break the glycosidic linkages of the cellulose chains creating new terminals; exoglucanases, responsible for the action on the terminals leading to cellobiose; and ®-glucosidases, which hydrolyse cellobiose to glucose [9]. These enzymes work cooperatively and sometimes synergistically to hydrolyse the crystalline cellulose substrate [10] and [11]. Cellulases have several applications but to date have been mainly used in the textile industry for denim fading. The xylanolytic complex consists of several enzymes, such as ®-1,4-endoxylanase, ®-xylosidase and ɑ-l-arabinofuranosidase, which act cooperatively to convert xylan, the main carbohydrate found in hemicellulose, to xylose. These enzymes are used in the pulp and paper, baking and animal feed industries [12].
The growing concern in finding alternative energy sources and reducing the use of fossil fuels requires a transition from non-renewable carbon sources to renewable resources, such as lignocellulosic biomass. Pennisetum purpureum, also known as elephant grass, belongs to the family Graminae (Poaceae) [1]. It is a tropical species presenting C4 metabolism and high productivity, yielding approximately 45 t of dry matter/ha/year, whereas sugar cane and corn yield approximately 21 t (sugar and bagasse) and 13 t (grain and stover), respectively [2]. C4 plants capture carbon dioxide much more efficiently than the traditional C3 crop and woody plants, due to differences in internal leaf anatomy and photosynthetic biochemistry [3].Traditional forage species, e.g. elephant grass (P. purpureum Schum.), are also likely to have utility for the production of energy due to it being a tall perennial grass reaching over 3 m high. In addition, the biomass yields range between 12 and 150 Mg/ha/year depending on fertility, management and the cultivars, and can be harvested up to four times a year, which makes this plant one of the most promising crops for energy use [4] and [5]. Such productivity makes elephant grass an interesting biomass source to produce second-generation ethanol.However, three bottlenecks still need to be overcome to make the production of second-generation ethanol economically viable: (1) pre-treatment of biomass, (2) the high cost of enzymes for enzymatic hydrolysis [6] and [7], and (3) the fermentation of pentoses from hemicellulose hydrolysis [8].
Cellulases and xylanases are required in large quantities for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. The cellulase complex consists of three key enzymes: endoglucanases, which break the glycosidic linkages of the cellulose chains creating new terminals; exoglucanases, responsible for the action on the terminals leading to cellobiose; and ®-glucosidases, which hydrolyse cellobiose to glucose [9]. These enzymes work cooperatively and sometimes synergistically to hydrolyse the crystalline cellulose substrate [10] and [11]. Cellulases have several applications but to date have been mainly used in the textile industry for denim fading. The xylanolytic complex consists of several enzymes, such as ®-1,4-endoxylanase, ®-xylosidase and ɑ-l-arabinofuranosidase, which act cooperatively to convert xylan, the main carbohydrate found in hemicellulose, to xylose. These enzymes are used in the pulp and paper, baking and animal feed industries [12].
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