Advances in biofuel ethanol from bioenergy crop switchgrass

Switchgrass(Panicum virgatum) has become hot point in the bioenergy crop research because its low cost of plant, convenient management, short life cycle, high yield, and positive effects to environment. This paper reviewed the characteristic of energy，the way of plant and management, the method of biotechnology modification, and the translating process of biofuel of switchgrass. Also, the key issues include overcoming recalcitrance, efficient breakdown of cellulose, and increasing biomass and lipid production for ethanol and biodiesel were analyzed. The optimization method of enzyme and the fermentation efficient of different microorganism, the vital indexes of microorganism feature should not only be considered in the process of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, fermentation strategies such as batch culture, continuous culture with cell recycling and in situ ethanol removal are also important.