Miscanthus: a fast-growing crop for biofuels and chemicals production

Miscanthus represents a key candidate energy crop for use in biomass-to-liquid fuel-conversion processes and biorefineries to produce a range of liquid fuels and chemicals; it has recently attracted considerable attention. Its yield, elemental composition, carbohydrate and lignin content and composition are of high importance to be reviewed for future biofuel production and development. Starting from Miscanthus, various pre-treatment technologies have recently been developed in the literature to break down the lignin structure, disrupt the crystalline structure of cellulose, and enhance its enzyme digestibility. These technologies included chemical, physicochemical, and biological pre-treatments. Due to its significantly lower concentrations of moisture and ash, Miscanthus also represents a key candidate crop for use in biomass-to-liquid conversion processes to produce a range of liquid fuels and chemicals by thermochemical conversion. The goal of this paper is to review the current status of the technology for biofuel production from this crop within a biorefinery context.