Biomass to biofuel : the engineering of Saccharomyces species for the co-fermentation of cellulose and xylose

Abstract

Lignocellulose represents one of the most abundant biomass sources in the world. Its renewable and abundant nature makes it a prime target for use in bioethanol production. The efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol requires the utilisation of both the hemicellulosic and cellulosic fractions of biomass. Yeasts commonly used for ethanol production are unable to naturally utilise cellulose or the main component of hemicellulose, the pentose sugar xylose. Previous research has focussed on developing recombinant yeast strains capable of utilising either cellulose or xylose, however the co-utilisation of both cellulose and xylose has yet to be demonstrated.