Production of alcohols by filamentous fungi

Abstract

Ethanol, as a neat chemical or gasoline blend, is the most consumed liquid biofuel for transportation purposes. At present, ethanol is industrially produced from sugar- and starch-based substrates, and ethanol production from lignocelluloses and algae is envisaged over the future. An industrial ethanol-producing microorganism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is well-known for ethanol production. However, some Zygomycetes and Ascomycetes species have emerged as ethanol producers. The advantages of using these fungi are high ethanol yield, titer and productivity, high tolerance to inhibitory chemicals in the fermentation broth, and having valuable fungal biomass as a by-product of fermentation. In addition, filamentous fungi may facilitate the production of n-butanol, as an advanced biofuel, from waste materials through different approaches. In this chapter, the production of ethanol by filamentous fungi and the potential roles of fungi in n-butanol production are discussed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.