الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Vast quantities of lignocellulosic materials, i.e. biomass, are available for exploition as potential sources of food, fuels and chemical feed stocks. Biomass in the form of agricultural wastes accumulates every year in large quantities both in industrial and developing countries. These results in a deterioration of the enivornment and loss of potentially valuable source. If just a fraction of these materials was to be converted, a significant contribution could be made to the overall problem of source recycle and conservation. In the recent years, the changing nature of the industrial and residential environment in some countries has revived the interest in low cost on-site waste treatment, while in others, the search for alternative treatment systems is due to the fact that the conventional collection, treatment and disposal techniques are either impractical or expensive. For a variety of reasons, biological conversion of biomass is preferred over chemical conversion procedures. Obviously, such processes must be efficient. Thus, it is clear that one must have a thorough understanding of the enzyme systems required for the hydrolysis of each of the major components in question and of the microorganisms that produce these enzyme systems. Pectin is the major component in the middle lamella and primary cell wall of higher plants. Pectic substances are acid polysaccharides. |