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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Techniques for the Evolution of Robust Pentose-fermenting Yeast for Bioconversion of Lignocellulose to Ethanol
Published on: October 24, 2016
Acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation of corn stover: current production methods, economic viability and commercial
Nawa R Baral1, Lauren Slutzky2, Ajay Shah3
1Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, Room 110 FABE Building, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691, USA Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, 44600, Nepal.
Abstract:
Biobutanol is a next-generation liquid biofuel with properties akin to those of gasoline. There is a widespread effort to commercialize biobutanol production from agricultural residues, such as corn stover, which do not compete with human and animal foods. This pursuit is backed by extensive government mandates to expand alternative energy sources. This review provides an overview of research on biobutanol production using corn stover feedstock. Structural composition, pretreatment, sugar yield (following pretreatment and hydrolysis) and generation of lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds (LDMICs) from corn stover are discussed. The review also discusses different Clostridium species and strains employed for biobutanol production from corn stover-derived sugars with respect to solvent yields, tolerance to LDMICs and in situ solvent recovery (integrated fermentation). Further, the economics of cellulosic biobutanol production are highlighted and compared to corn starch-derived ethanol and gasoline. As discussed herein, the economic competitiveness of biobutanol production from corn stover largely depends on feedstock processing and fermentation process design.
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