Utilization of Lignocellulose for Biofuel and Fine Chemical Production by Anaerobic Thermophiles

Dear Colleagues,

Over the years, thermophilic anaerobic bacteria (Thermoanaerobacter, Thermoanaerobacterium, Caloramator, Caldicellulosiruptor, Thermotoga, and others) have received increased interest since their discovery, ranging from their use as fermentation factories to produce biofuels (hydrogen, ethanol, methane) and, more recently, to produce a variety of fine chemicals. The most common substrates for bioethanol production are monosugars (mainly glucose) released from starch and sugarcane; however, it is more sustainable to use agricultural waste and lignocellulose. By using such complex substrates, thermophiles gain certain advantages, such as having broad substrate spectra compared to yeasts and being generally more robust microorganisms, tolerating extremes in temperature, heat, and acidity. Although these bacteria produce ethanol as their main end product, they also produce other volatile compounds. This can be dealt with by using genetic engineering to knock out the undesired end product production pathway to enhance ethanol or hydrogen production. Thermophilic anaerobic bacteria are interesting not only because of their production of biofuels but also of various fine chemicals, which mostly originate from fossil fuels at present. Examples include 1,2 and 1,3-propanediol from sugars and deoxysugars and branched-chain alcohols from branched-chain amino acids. Finally, interest in thermophilic enzymes, both polymeric-degrading enzymes and more specific enzymes, e.g., those used to convert cheap fatty acids to long-chain carbon alcohols by fermentation, has increased dramatically in the past few decades and will be addressed in this Special Issue.

The goal of this Special Issue is to publish both recent innovative research results, as well as review papers, on the production of biofuels and fine chemicals from agricultural waste, food waste, animal manure, organic municipal waste, and industrial byproducts. Review and research papers on the development of novel enzymes and microbial strains are also of interest. If you would like to contribute a review paper, please contact one of the editors to discuss the topic’s relevance before submitting the manuscript.

Prof. Dr. Johann Örlygsson
Guest Editor

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• biofuel
• thermophiles
• anaerobic
• fine chemicals
• enzymes
• fine chemicals
• fermentation