Bulk and specialty chemicals from plan cell wall chemistry

Abstract

Concerns about global warming are driving the replacement of carbon or fossil products as well as the search for sustainable alternatives for the treatment, processing, extraction, and conversion of lignocellulosic (LG) biomass into platform chemical compounds useful for a wide range of industries, such as foodstuffs, biomedical, chemical, and pharmaceutical. The plant cell wall provides a good source of cellulosic and noncellulosic polymers which constitute the basic units of LG biomass. Moreover, LG biomass is the most abundant and renewable material on Earth for the production of biofuels. Bioethanol production via LG feedstock conversion under a biorefinery system appears to be promising in mitigating global climate change involving also the co-production of biochemicals.This chapter focuses on the exploitation of LG biomass extracted from plant cell wall polymers as a substrate for the production of specialty chemicals. The current value-added products obtained from LG biomass, their carbon sources, and their application as starter materials are reviewed. Also, tips for the better cleavage of cell wall polymers are mentioned.