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The microbial production of chemicals has traditionally relied on a single engineered microbe to enable the complete bioconversion of substrate to final product. Recently, a growing fraction of research has transitioned towards employing a modular co-culture engineering strategy using multiple microbes growing together to facilitate a divide-and-conquer approach for chemical biosynthesis. Here, we review key success stories that leverage the unique advantages of co-culture engineering, while also addressing the critical concerns that will limit the wide-spread implementation of this technology. Future studies that address the need to monitor and control the population dynamics of each strain module, while maintaining robust flux routes towards a wide range of desired products will lead the efforts to realize the true potential of co-culture engineering., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cellulose accessibility has been proposed as a key factor in the efficient bio-conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars. Factors affecting cellulose accessibility can be divided into direct factors that refer to accessible surface area of cellulose, and indirect factors referring to chemical composition such as lignin/hemicellulose content, and biomass structure-relevant factors (i.e. particle size, porosity). An overview of the current pretreatment technologies special focus on the major mode of action to increase cellulose accessibility as well as multiple techniques that could be used to assess the cellulose accessibility are presented in this review. The appropriate determination of cellulose accessibility before and after pretreatment can assist to understand the effectiveness of a particular pretreatment in overcoming lignocellulosic recalcitrance to improve substrate enzymatic digestibility., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biological pulping has the potential to improve the quality of pulp, properties of paper and to reduce energy costs and environmental impact relative to traditional pulping operations. It has been suggested that energy savings alone could make the process economically viable. Other benefits include improved burst strength and tear indices of the product and reduced pitch deposition during the production process. The technology has focused on the white rot fungi, which have complex extracellular ligninolytic enzyme systems that can selectively remove or alter lignin and allow cellulose fibers to be obtained. Although still far from completely understood, these enzyme systems are being characterized mechanistically and on a molecular level with primary emphasis on the enzymes lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase and laccase. Scale-up to industrial process requirements presents challenges that are difficult to simulate in laboratory or pilot-scale tests. Inoculation, aeration and heat dissipation are key parameters for maintaining fungal activity. It may be possible to monitor and maintain consistent treatments through a program of active wood chip pile management. Overcoming these challenges will determine, in large part, if biopulping becomes a reality.