Routes to Cellulosic Ethanol [Paperback]

The perception that civilization is crossing a period of Global Climatic Changes that can seriously threaten our lifestyle, along with energy security and the search for prosperity, are the main drivers that are pushing men to use more biomass as a source of energy. It will be crucial that such intent will include a large parcel of sustainability so that more renewable energy becomes available for populations. Because large amounts of energy are hidden in carbon polymers made by plants, notably carbohydrates, it is obvious that if technologies are developed to produce liquid fuels such as ethanol from carbohydrate polymers such as cellulose, men could significantly increase energy sustainability . This book reviews general aspects of biomass utilization for bioenergy production as well as strategies using biochemistry, molecular biology, chemistry and physics to disassemble plant cell walls. Recent discoveries of basic science under development in several laboratories in the world are reviewed by experts that have been intensively working with many aspects that will impact the development of the technology of production of cellulosic ethanol.Bioenergy.- The role of biomass in the worlds energy system.- BioEnergy and the Sustainable Revolution.- Biomass gasification for ethanol production.- Plant cell walls, enzymes and metabolism.- Hemicelluloses as Recalcitrant Components for Saccharification in Wood.-Topochemistry, porosity and chemical composition affecting enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials.- Enzymology of plant cell wall breakdown: an update.- Enzymes in Bioenergy.- Hydrolases from microorganisms used for degradation of plant cell wall and bioenergy production.- Cellulase Engineering for Biomass Saccarification.- Genetic improvement of xylose utilization by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.- Plant cell wall genetics.- Tropical Maize  Exploiting maize genetic diversity to develop a novel annual crop for lignocellulosic biomass and sugar production.- Slã2