Current challenges and innovative developments in pretreatment of lignocellulosic residues for biofuel production: A review

Lignocelluloses’ pretreatment is targeted for the improvement of hydrolysis of their carbohydrates, i.e., cellulose and hemicelluloses. Modification of the hardheaded structure of lignocelluloses is a fundamental stair in biofuels and biochemicals production. The high crystalline configurations of cellulose embed with hemicelluloses and lignin, give rise to recalcitrance structure. Second-generation biofuel production processes, using lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock, is based on a three-stage process, including pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation. The pretreatment stage is the most critical, influencing, costly stage. The perfect pretreatment process is designated to provide minimum cellulosic crystallinity with remarkable low lignin content as well as inhibitory compounds through a sustainable economical process. In the present review, advances in lignocellulosic pretreatment technologies for biofuels production are reviewed and critically discussed. The article further discusses the pros and cons of the various pretreatment methodologies as well as addresses the role and impact of different process parameters associated with the pretreatment process.