The three major components of plant biomass, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, are highly recalcitrant and deconstruction involves thermal and chemical pretreatment. Microbial conversion is a possible solution, but few anaerobic microbes utilize both cellulose and hemicellulose and none are known to solubilize lignin. This report shows that the majority (85%) of insoluble switchgrass biomass that had not been previously chemically treated was degraded at 78 °C by the anaerobic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii.
Follow this link to learn more: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2013/EE/c3ee40932e