Toward more cost-effective production of biofuels from plant lignocellulosic biomass

Lignocellulosic biomass contains bound acetate, which is released upon processing and is an inhibitor of microbial fermentation of sugars into bioethanol. A new study identifies a gene responsible for O-acetylation of a hemicellulose component of lignocellulosic biomass in the model plant Arabidopsis. Mutation of the gene eliminates acetylation of this hemicellulose, providing a new avenue for reducing acetylation in plant feedstocks and thereby lowering the cost of biofuel production.

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