Biomass Recalcitrance: Deconstructing the Plant Cell Wall for Bioenergy. Edited by M. E. Himmel © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-405-16360-6

The chapters in this book describe the state of the art, as well as promising new approaches, to overcome the critical science and engineering barriers to enabling modern biorefineries. We have assembled chapters that focus on topics extending from the highest levels of biorefinery design and biomass life-cycle analysis, to detailed aspects of plant cell wall structure, chemical treatments, enzymatic hydrolysis, and product fermentation options. Such compendia are often mere signposts in time. However, we hope that our unique assembly of carefully integrated topics, presented with reviews of background science, will remain relevant for those working in the biomass conversion field.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Todd Vinzant for the scanning electron micrograph image used on the cover of this book.

The U. S. Department of Energy Office of the Biomass Program is acknowledged for supporting the compilation of this book as well as its almost three decades of support for the biomass conversion sciences. Without this visionary programmatic perspective, much of the work reported here would not have been possible.