Bioprocessing of Biomass to Value-Added Products Using Enzymes

The lignocellulosic biomass obtained from non-food, woody materials are one of the largest reservoirs for fermentable starches that can be used to produce several valuable products including biofuels, chemicals, polymer composites, etc. For effective transformation of lignocellulosic biomass, several strategies are employed like thermal, chemical, biological hybrid, etc. However, among them, the biochemical conversion that requires milder conditions is the most preferred one. One of the key steps involved in biomass conversion is pretreatment that involves enzymatic treatment. The enzymatic treatment helps to break down the long chains of sugar and lignin polymers present in the biomass, which is of utmost importance for any kind of feedstock. Hence, the optimization of enzymatic treatment has a huge impact on the time and cost of the lignocellulosic biomass conversion. Therefore, integrating tailor-made enzymes during the development process of products would improve the economic aspects and sustainability of lignocellulosic biomass-based biorefineries. This article discusses varied applications of lignocellulosic materials in the production of several value-added products such as biofuels, enzymes, chemicals, the pulp and paper, animal feed, and composites.