Production of Organic Compounds by Microbial Fermentation - A variety of organic compounds, used as organic feedstocks for many chemical industries, are produced industrially by fermentation process. Microbial production of organic compounds that can be used as substitutes for traditional fuels also received major attention in 1970's, when petroleum and natural gas became scarce.
For both feed and fuel, generally the carbohydrate rich plant products are used as substrates. It is estimated that about 95% of the total 180 x 109 tonnes of plant material produced annually on this earth remains unutilized as human or animal feed.
By evolving suitable biotechnology, such a large amount of biomass can be converted into a variety of useful products.