PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ETHANOL FROM LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS

摘要

Disclosed is an inexpensive and efficient ethanol production process which utilizes a lignocellulosic biomass as a raw material. Specifically disclosed is a process for producing ethanol from a lignocellulosic biomass, which comprises the following steps: a lignocellulose decomposition step of subjecting the lignocellulosic biomass to a blasting treatment, or hydrolyzing the lignocellulosic biomass in a subcritical state and subsequently subjecting the resulting product to a flash treatment; a lignin removal step of immersing a solid residue produced by the decomposition step in ethanol to remove lignin from the solid residue; and a C6 glycosylation/simultaneous fermentation step of glycosylating a solid residue produced by the lignin removal step with an enzyme and fermenting the resulting product with a C6 fermentation microorganism to produce ethanol. The rates of the glycosylation and the fermentation of the biomass can be increased when the blasting treatment and the like are combined with the removal of lignin by the immersion in ethanol.