Recent trends in ionic liquid (IL) tolerant enzymes and microorganisms for biomass conversion.
Second generation biofuel production depends on lignocellulosic (LC) biomass transformation into simple sugars and their subsequent fermentation into alcohols. However, the main obstacle in this process is the efficient breakdown of the recalcitrant cellulose to sugar monomers. Hence, efficient feedstock pretreatment and hydrolysis are necessary to produce a cost effective biofuel. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have been recognized as a promising solvent able to dissolve different biomass feedstocks, providing higher sugar yields. However, most of the hydrolytic enzymes and microorganisms are inactivated, completely or partially, in the presence of even low concentrations of IL, making necessary the discovery of novel hydrolytic enzymes and fermentative microorganisms that are tolerant to ILs. In this review, the current state and the challenges of using ILs as a pretreatment of LC biomass was evaluated, underlining the advances in the discovery and identification of new IL-tolerant enzymes and microorganisms that could improve the bioprocessing of biomass to fuels and chemicals.
a Abengoa Research , Abengoa, Campus Palmas Altas , Seville , Spain.
Maria Del Carmen
Mdel C
Portillo
Anas
A
Saadeddin
D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D056804:Biofuels; D052578:Ionic Liquids
Biomass; enzymes; ionic liquids; microorganisms; pretreatment