Nanobiocatalysts Used for the Production of Bioethanol and Biodiesel

For a sustainable environment, it is the need of the hour to shift dependence on energy sources from fossil-based fuels to biofuels of which bioethanol and biodiesel are the most attractive ones. Bioethanol offers various advantages over petroleum fuels, especially gasoline, like eco-friendly nature, low cost, high octane number (108), higher flame speeds, etc. Feedstocks for bioethanol and biodiesel production are cheap and easily available. Stability, better catalytic activity, reusability, and eco-friendly nature of the enzymes make them a perfect option for hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic feedstock to convert them into fermentable sugars to produce bioethanol as compared to chemical methods. When enzyme immobilization is performed on a support made up of nanomaterials, these enzymes are called nanobiocatalysts. Different kinds of materials like silica NPs, zinc NPs, nickel NPs, nanosized carbon tubes, zeolites, magnetic NPs, and metal-oxide NPs are used for bioethanol and biodiesel production with a significant increase in the yield.