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“Second generation” bioethanol, with lignocellulose material as feedstock, is a promising alternative for first generation bioethanol. This paper provides an overview of the current status and reveals the bottlenecks that hamper its implementation. The current literature specifies a conversion of biomass to bioethanol of 30 to ~50% only. Novel processes increase the conversion yield to about 92% of the theoretical yield. New combined processes reduce both the number of operational steps and the production of inhibitors. Recent advances in genetically engineered microorganisms are promising for higher alcohol tolerance and conversion efficiency. By combining advanced systems and by intensive additional research to eliminate current bottlenecks, second generation bioethanol could surpass the traditional first generation processes.

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Anaerobic digestion is an excellent technique for the energetic valorisation of various types of biomass including waste forms. Because of its complex nature, the optimisation and further process development of this technology go hand in hand with the availability of mathematical models for both simulation and control purposes. Over the years, the variety of mathematical models developed has increased as have their complexity. This paper reviews the trends in anaerobic digestion modelling, with the main focus on the current state of the art. The most significant simulation and control models are highlighted, and their effectiveness critically discussed. The importance of the availability of models that are less complex, which can be used for control purposes, is assessed. The paper concludes with a discussion on the inclusion of microbial community data in mathematical models, an innovative approach which could drastically improve model performance