Ethanol from Softwood Biomass: Review Article

Pine waste generated as needle biomass is a serious threat to our environment in Himachal Pradesh in terms of recalcitrance of soil as well as forest fire. According to forest department, 22% of total forest in state is fire prone due to pine trees abundance and their needles being rich in antimicrobial compounds are not degraded down easily in nature. The bioconversion can be attained by pretreating the needles with a devised chemical solution, hydrolyzing with in house depolymerising enzymes to reduce the cost of production process for commercialization and fermentation of ethanol by suitable co-cultures of ethanologens. The ethanol so produced is a viable alternative in the field of bio-energy to conventional fuel. The main aim of developing this technology for biofuel production from pine needles waste is to join the global race for energy security and independency. As energy is a life line of global economy. Diminishing fossil fuel reserves, ever escalating fuel prices and increased concern over environment pollution have prompted global research community to accelerate the need to look for renewable and environmentally sustainable energy processes and this bioconversion process can be a boon to state as well as nation if being transferred to the technology starved industry.