Agroresidue-based biorefineries

Agroresidues are the waste by-products of agricultural crops and agroindustries. The generation of these waste materials poses disposal issues that lead to environmental and economic concerns. These issues could be addressed by utilizing these waste materials for the production of other value-added products. It serves as an abundant, inexpensive, and a renewable source for the production of various products. The agroresidual waste, such as lignocellulosic biomass, is mainly composed of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. For the efficient production of sugars from lignocellulosic biomass, various types of pretreatment have to be carried out for the removal of either hemicelluloses or lignin. Pretreatment is an important step for the recovery of cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass. An ideal pretreatment will minimize sugar loss and prevent inhibitor generation with minimal energy inputs. Several research and developmental activities are going on throughout the world for the bioconversion of lignocellulosic wastes to fuels and chemicals. This chapter gives an overview of different sources of agroindustry wastes, current conversion strategies adopted for the production of different value-added products from pretreated biomass, and pretreatment liquor.