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5028492 
Journal Article 
Review 
'Cradle-to-grave' assessment of existing lignocellulose pretreatment technologies 
da Costa Sousa, L; Chundawat, SP; Balan, V; Dale, BE 
2009 
Yes 
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
ISSN: 0958-1669 
20 
3 
339-347 
English 
19481437 
WOS:000268525800014 
Pretreatment is considered to be a central unit process in a biorefinery to convert lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and chemicals, affecting all other operations in the process. A variety of technologies to pretreat lignocellulosic biomass are available today, which encompass a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological based processes. Among these, chemical based pretreatments are considered to be the most promising for future biorefineries. However, several key criteria regarding technical, economical, and environmental considerations should be critically analyzed when adapting these technologies for the nascent biorefinery industry. This review will discuss the most important pretreatment methods available today and will highlight key criteria for the development of a future ideal pretreatment. 
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