Yeast-Mediated Biomass Valorization for Biofuel Production: A Literature Review

The European Union has recommended that about 10–50% of the global energy requirement should be supplemented by waste biomass resources by 2050 in order to achieve the objective of having net-zero-emission economies. This has led to intensive research being conducted on developing appropriate biofuel production technologies using advanced or integrated systems to tackle local, national, and global energy challenges using waste feedstock. Researchers have realized the potential of microbes (e.g., yeast strains) for bioenergy production. For this paper, both non-oleaginous and oleaginous yeasts were reviewed, with a specific focus being placed on their diversity in metabolism and tolerance to the various challenges that arise from the use of waste feedstock and influence bioprocessing. Gathering in-depth knowledge and information on yeast metabolism has paved the way for newer and better technologies to employ them for consolidated biorefineries to not only produce biofuels but also to cut down process expenses and decrease the risks of net carbon emissions. The rationale for using yeast strains improved by metabolic engineering and genetic manipulation that can substantially meet the challenges of alternate fuel resources is also described in this paper. This literature review presents the advantages and disadvantages of yeast-based biofuel production and highlights the advancements in technologies and how they contrast to conventional methods. Over the last decade, scientific publications have endorsed the idea of biorefineries for environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable biofuel production.