Scientists are investigating the use of cellulose to
produce ethanol. The ethanol produced from cellulose
is exactly the same as the ethanol that is created from
edible plant parts. Cellulose ethanol is produced from
lignocellulose which is a mixture of lignin, hemicellulose
and cellulose. These three materials make up the plant
cell wall. The lignin is the glue that holds the cellulose
fibres together and gives the plant its rigidity.
The lignocellulose is the part of the plant that
remains undigested by us and most animals i.e. it is a
non-foodstuff e.g. stalks, sawdust and wood chip. Nearly
430 million tons of plant waste are produced from just
farmland every year, not including the waste from
forestry operations. There is a huge amount of
non-edible plant waste to recycle.