When blessed with a resource in overwhelming abundance it’s
generally a good idea to make valuable use of that resource. Lignocellulosic
biomass is the most abundant organic material on Earth. For thousands of years
it has been used as animal feed, and for the past two centuries has been a
staple of the paper industry. This abundant resource, however, could also
supply the sugars needed to produce advanced biofuels that can supplement or
replace fossil fuels, providing several key technical challenges are met. One
of these challenges is finding ways to more cost-effectively extract those
sugars. Major steps towards achieving this breakthrough are being taken by
researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute
(JBEI).