Advances and prospects for lactic acid production from lignocellulose

Lactic acid is a versatile building block that can be produced via microbial fermentation. Owing to the high optical purity, approximately 90 % of lactic acid is produced by microbes. Recently, the biosynthesis of lactic acid from lignocellulose has concerned much attentions. However, the cost-effective process faces several obstacles because of the complex structure of lignocellulose. This review will comprehensively summarize the state-of-the-art lactic acid production from lignocellulose, including the commonly used lactate-producing microorganisms, the co-utilization of glucose and xylose for the lactic acid production, as well as the lactic acid production from lignocellulose hydrolysate. Furthermore, the strategies regarding the lignocellulosic lactic acid production via consolidated bioprocessing will be also discussed, which can greatly reduce the complexity of the fermentation process.