Bioprospecting of Cellulase-Producing Fungi for Biofuel Applications

The need for biofuel is increasing every day. Bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most efficient methods available in the techno-economic world. The lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable source as 180 billion tons of plant cellulose are being burnt for disposal as waste. The conversion of cellulose to ethanol provides an energy source and prevents environmental pollution. The waste biomass to energy conversion takes place via enzyme hydrolysis. Cellulase is a group of enzymes produced by various organisms, especially fungi for its cellular growth. The cellulase enzyme produced by the fungi is highly capable of breaking the lignocellulose. Many engineering approaches have been performed in fungi to increase the fungal cellulase for effective hydrolysis. This chapter reviews the different types of fungal cellulase and its efficacy in the hydrolysis of various lignocellulose biomass along with its bioethanol yield. The major strategies used to enhance the production of fungal cellulase were summarized and the mechanism of breaking the lignocellulose using fungal cellulase has been discussed.