Ethanol has been well established in the fuel market, where its share from less than 1 GL in 1975 is expected to increase to 100 GL in 2015. Grains, sugarcane juice, and molasses are the dominant raw materials for the time being, while lignocellulosic materials are expected to have a significant share in this market in the future. There have been great achievements in the development of ethanol production from lignocel — lulosic materials, and large-scale facilities are expected to be built within a few years. However, several challenges will still persist in this process in the future, until the process is fully established.