Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Trends Biotechnol. 2013 Feb;31(2):70-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2012.10.009. Epub 2012 Dec 12.
As world energy demand continues to rise and fossil fuel resources are depleted, marine macroalgae (i.e., seaweed) is receiving increasing attention as an attractive renewable source for producing fuels and chemicals. Marine plant biomass has many advantages over terrestrial plant biomass as a feedstock. Recent breakthroughs in converting diverse carbohydrates from seaweed biomass into liquid biofuels (e.g., bioethanol) through metabolic engineering have demonstrated potential for seaweed biomass as a promising, although relatively unexplored, source for biofuels. This review focuses on up-to-date progress in fermentation of sugars from seaweed biomass using either natural or engineered microbial cells, and also provides a comprehensive overview of seaweed properties, cultivation and harvesting methods, and major steps in the bioconversion of seaweed biomass to biofuels.
随着世界能源需求持续增长和化石燃料资源枯竭，海洋大型藻类（即海藻）作为生产燃料和化学品的有吸引力的可再生资源，正受到越来越多的关注。海洋植物生物质作为原料具有许多优于陆地植物生物质的优点。最近，通过代谢工程将海藻生物质中的各种碳水化合物转化为液体生物燃料（例如生物乙醇）的突破，展示了海藻生物质作为一种有前途的、尽管相对未开发的生物燃料来源的潜力。本综述重点介绍了利用天然或工程微生物细胞从海藻生物质发酵糖的最新进展，还全面概述了海藻特性、培养和收获方法，以及海藻生物质生物转化为生物燃料的主要步骤。
