Chapter 5
Challenges in Bioethanol Production: Effect
of Inhibitory Compounds
Faiza Kausar, Muhammad Irfan, Hafiz Abdullah Shakir, Muhammad Khan,
Shaukat Ali, and Marcelo Franco
Abstract In today’s world, the need for sustainable fuel production is increased.
For the production of cost-effective fuels for many purposes, the concern has shifted
toward the use of biomass, including plants. The use of biomass for bioethanol
production has proved beneficial in terms of cost, of production, but the main
challenges encountered are of the production of inhibitors. Production of bioethanol
from biomass involves first, second, and third generations of feedstock. The
pretreatment of second-generation biomass, i.e., lignocelluloses, results in the formation of inhibitory byproducts. The inhibitors include furans, weak acids, and
phenolic compounds. These inhibitors result in the increase of cost for the whole
processing. This review is focused on process, the compounds that have inhibitory
role and are extracted from biomass rich in lignocelluloses in the duration of
pretreatment, their mechanism of action, and how to minimize their effects on
fermentation process.
Keywords Pretreatment · Lignocelluloses · Bioethanol · Biomass · Inhibitors ·
HMF · Furfural · Phenolics
F. Kausar · M. Irfan (*)
Department of Biotechnology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
e-mail: irfan.ashraf@uos.edu.pk
H. A. Shakir · M. Khan
Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab New Campus, Lahore, Pakistan
S. Ali
Department of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
M. Franco
Department of Exact Sciences and Technology, State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus,
Brazil
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Srivastava et al. (eds.), Bioenergy Research: Basic and Advanced Concepts, Clean
Energy Production Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4611-6_5
119
Challenges in Bioethanol Production: Effect
of Inhibitory Compounds
Faiza Kausar, Muhammad Irfan, Hafiz Abdullah Shakir, Muhammad Khan,
Shaukat Ali, and Marcelo Franco
Abstract In today’s world, the need for sustainable fuel production is increased.
For the production of cost-effective fuels for many purposes, the concern has shifted
toward the use of biomass, including plants. The use of biomass for bioethanol
production has proved beneficial in terms of cost, of production, but the main
challenges encountered are of the production of inhibitors. Production of bioethanol
from biomass involves first, second, and third generations of feedstock. The
pretreatment of second-generation biomass, i.e., lignocelluloses, results in the formation of inhibitory byproducts. The inhibitors include furans, weak acids, and
phenolic compounds. These inhibitors result in the increase of cost for the whole
processing. This review is focused on process, the compounds that have inhibitory
role and are extracted from biomass rich in lignocelluloses in the duration of
pretreatment, their mechanism of action, and how to minimize their effects on
fermentation process.
Keywords Pretreatment · Lignocelluloses · Bioethanol · Biomass · Inhibitors ·
HMF · Furfural · Phenolics
F. Kausar · M. Irfan (*)
Department of Biotechnology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
e-mail: irfan.ashraf@uos.edu.pk
H. A. Shakir · M. Khan
Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab New Campus, Lahore, Pakistan
S. Ali
Department of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
M. Franco
Department of Exact Sciences and Technology, State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus,
Brazil
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Srivastava et al. (eds.), Bioenergy Research: Basic and Advanced Concepts, Clean
Energy Production Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4611-6_5
119