Bioprocessing Requirements for Bioethanol

Abstract

This chapter discusses alternative energy sources and the advantages of biofuels over fossil fuels. It outlines the main steps of bioethanol production and suggests some alternative sources as potential feedstock. The core focus of this chapter is to examine new research which considers the use of agricultural waste as a feedstock for bioethanol production rather than conventional feedstocks such as sugarcane and corn. The advantages of sugarcane bagasse as a feedstock are discussed in detail and the bioprocessing requirements are studied in comparison to traditional methods that use sugarcane as the feedstock. The chapter concludes by briefly outlining further research that could potentially improve these processes.