Progress in bioethanol production technologies

The limited global crude oil reserve coupled with the environmental worsening caused by the excessive consumption of petroleum-derived fuels, has forced human to look for alternative sources of energy. Ethanol, both renewable and environmentally benign, is regarded as one of the best alternatives. In this paper, we summarize the advance in bioethanol processing from various raw materials such as sugars, starch and lignocellulose, particularly focusing on ethanol derived from lignocellulose since this approach is seen as the more attractive one for future supplies of ethanol. Future efforts for the research field, such as further reducing energy consumption during the whole process as well as achieving clean production, and developing genetically modified Cyanobacteria to convert CO₂ into ethanol, are also suggested.