Recent advances in lignocellulosic and algal biomass pretreatment and its biorefinery approaches for biochemicals and bioenergy conversion

As the global demand for sustainable energy increases, lignocellulosic (such as agricultural residues, forest biomass, municipal waste, and dedicated energy crops) and algal (including macroalgae and microalgae) biomass have attracted considerable attention, because of their high availability of carbohydrates. This is a potential feedstock to produce biochemical and bioenergy. Pretreatment of biomass can disrupt their complex structure, increasing conversion efficiency and product yield. Therefore, this review comprehensively discusses recent advances in different pretreatments (physical, chemical, physicochemical, and biological pretreatments) for lignocellulosic and algal biomass and their biorefining methods. Life cycle assessment (LCA) which enables the quantification of the environmental impact assessment of a biorefinery also be introduced. Biorefinery processes such as raw material acquisition, extraction, production, waste accumulation, and waste conversion are all monitored under this concept. Nevertheless, there still exist some techno-economic barriers during bio-refinery and extensive research is still needed to develop cost-effective processes.

Automated summary

Due to the increasing global demand for sustainable energy, lignocellulosic and algal biomass are being considered as potential feedstock for producing biochemicals and bioenergy. Pretreatment of biomass can improve the conversion efficiency and product yield by disrupting their complex structure. This review discusses recent advances in various pretreatment methods for lignocellulosic and algal biomass, as well as the introduction of life cycle assessment (LCA) for environmental impact evaluation.