Making Biofuels Part 1

Lecture Notes

Prior to processing the feedstock, it generally has to be milled or ground into small-sized particles by crushing, grinding, or by some other method of breaking the feedstock into small particles. Pretreatment includes using thermal pretreatment from hot water, steam or heat. Chemical pretreatments such as acids, alkalis, or solvents are also used. Finally, in the hydrolysis step that converts cellulose into 6-carbon molecules, an enzyme called cellulase is used to break the large carbon molecules down into the smaller, 6-carbon glucose molecules.