Anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass: Challenges and opportunities

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 178; pp. 178 - 186
• Main Authors: Sawatdeenarunat, Chayanon, Surendra, K.C., Takara, Devin, Oechsner, Hans, Khanal, Samir Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2015
• Subjects: Anaerobic biorefinery; Anaerobic digestion; Anaerobiosis; Biochemistry; Bioenergy; Biomass; biorefining; Biotechnology; Cellulose fibers; cellulosic fibers; Digesting; Digestion; feedstocks; inoculum; Lignin - metabolism; Lignocellulose; Lignocellulosic biomass; Methane - biosynthesis; Microorganisms; Refuse Disposal - methods; Renewable energy; Rumen microorganism; rumen microorganisms; Bioenergy; Lignocellulosic biomass; Rumen microorganism; Anaerobic digestion; Anaerobic biorefinery
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.09.103

•Anaerobic digestion of lignocellulose can sustainably produce renewable energy.•Anaerobic co-digestion is a promising technology to improve digester performance.•Solid-state anaerobic digestion could efficiently digest high solid organics.•Rumen microbes can be an effective inoculum for the digestion of lignocelluloses.•Anaerobic biorefinery could provide both bioenergy and valuable biochemicals. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of lignocellulosic biomass provides an excellent opportunity to convert abundant bioresources into renewable energy. Rumen microorganisms, in contrast to conventional microorganisms, are an effective inoculum for digesting lignocellulosic biomass due to their intrinsic ability to degrade substrate rich in cellulosic fiber. However, there are still several challenges that must be overcome for the efficient digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. Anaerobic biorefinery is an emerging concept that not only generates bioenergy, but also high-value biochemical/products from the same feedstock. This review paper highlights the current status of lignocellulosic biomass digestion and discusses its challenges. The paper also discusses the future research needs of lignocellulosic biomass digestion.