A lignocellulose feedstock biorefinery will typically use ‘naturedry’
lignocellulosic biomass such as wood, straw, corn stover, etc.
The lignocellulosic raw material (consisting primarily of polysaccharides
and lignin) will enter the biorefinery and, through an
array of processes, will be fractionated and converted into a variety
of energy and chemical products such as cellulose, hemicelluloses,
lignin [4]. Cellulose is a structural polysaccharide consisting of a
long chain of glucose molecules linked by glycosidic bonds. Breaking
these bonds releases the glucose and makes it available for
either food or fuel production. A variety of microorganisms secrete
enzymes that hydrolyze the glycosidic bonds of cellulose (and
hemicellulose). Cellulose, on the other hand, is the most abundant
form of biomass on the planet. In the form of lignocellulose, a
composite of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, it dominates
most natural ecosystems and is widely managed as sources of
timber and animal forage [6].