Physiological Mechanisms Behind the Microbe-Induced Biofuel Production

The global economy depends on one of the important constituents of life i.e., energy Globalization and industrialization in the world have led to increases in petroleum-based fuel and global oil prices, henceforth biofuel research is considered a hot topic due to the increasing demand for global energy which presently seems to be the alternative source of energy for sustainable development considering the environmental aspects. The development of different methods for biofuel production using plants and microbes has gained considerable attention. Inexhaustible biological resources are available in the form of agricultural biomass and various biological wastes which can be transformed into liquid biofuels. However, the conversion process is very expensive and not worthwhile for large-scale production of biofuel for commercial use, therefore a lot of research needs to be done for the efficient, economical, effective and sustainable production method. The present chapter aims to discuss the microbial mechanism for the production of biofuel with the advancement in metabolic engineering for new organisms and to improve biofuel production. We also discuss the economic viability of various approaches used in biofuel production.