Presence and Role of Anaerobic Hydrolytic Microbes in Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Biogas Production

In recent years, biogas production from complex biomass has received great interest. Therefore, many studies have been conducted to understand the anaerobic digestion process and to characterize responsible microbes for the biochemical conversions. Although the knowledge about biogas production in general is rapidly increasing, less information is available about hydrolytic microbes within anaerobic bioreactors. Here, the authors pinpoint the urgent need for solid fundamental knowledge about hydrolytic bacteria within biogas plants. In this review, current knowledge about anaerobic hydrolytic microbes is presented, including their abundance in biogas plants, and the factors impacting their activity.