Feedstocks, logistics and pre-treatment processes for sustainable lignocellulosic biorefineries: A comprehensive review

More than a century long research and development on utilization of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuels and biomaterials are still in its formative years and the main reason for this is the over-dependence on the fossil fuel reserves. Active research works in the last decades has resulted in a few industrial units to start, stumble and become the forerunners of future biorefineries. But the current system of feedstock logistics and biomass valorization has many drawbacks that make the biorefinery operations unsuccessful throughout the world. This paper discusses the important lignocellulosic feedstocks used, existing and alternate logistical practices, and the pretreatment of biomass for the biorefinery operations. It also emphasises on the importance of decentralized pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for the centralized biorefinery operations.