Ferulic acid from Lignocellulosic biomass: review

Abstract

Lignocellulosic materials are important natural renewable resources. Wood, the predominant source is among the most extensively exploited engineering materials. This is because it is low in cost, renewable and strong and it reqiures low processing energy. Wood and other lignocellolosic material consists of flexible cellulose fiber assembled in an amourphous matrix of lignin with a hemicellulosic polymer. Agricultural residues, water plants, grasses and other plant substances are sources for Lignocellulosic materials. These materials are unique in their chemical compositions as well as their chemical, physical and mechanical properties. They consist mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and a small amout of extractives. A number of different pretreatment methods of Lignocellulosic materials to release lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are addressed such as chemical pretreatment, steam pretreatment and biological pretreatment. Ferulic acid, one of the phenolic compounds in lignin which are released after pretreatment, can be futher utilized for many industrial purposes. Biotransfromation of phenolic compounds like ferulic acid usually carried out by various microorganisms into value added commodities have been identified.