Exploiting the gut bacteria for the production of biofuels from lignocellulose

An environmentally friendly substitute for fossil fuels, biofuels are made from clean, sustainable sources such as plants and microbes. They may help to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Complex organic resources such as lignocellulosic biomass are broken down into simpler molecules to produce biofuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas by several natural biomass utilization systems, including ruminants. For the efficient bioconversion of lignocellulose, these natural biomass degraders harbor microbes, particularly bacteria, in their gut systems that augment the digestive processes. Notably, some gut bacteria in herbivores secrete enzymes that can degrade the lignocellulosic biomass. In herbivores, the predominant enzymes of the gut bacteria are cellulases and hemicellulases, which effectively break down plant fibers into fermentable sugars. Researchers are looking into the possibility of using the lignocellulolytic activity of gut bacteria to boost the effectiveness and affordability of converting lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels.