Carbohydrate and lignin are simultaneously solubilized from unpretreated switchgrass by microbial action at high temperature

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

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