Fig. 1.

The versatile applications of straw, a side product in food production. Apart from traditional applications in agriculture, a part of it is left in the field to restore the soil carbon pool. In some areas, surplus straw is removed by open field burning, which is a waste of organic material and can substantially affect air quality in the environments of the fields. After physico-chemical and enzymatic pretreatment, microbial processes can add value to straw. There are examples of commercial production of bioethanol or biogas from straw. Research is going on to generate advanced biofuels such as biodiesel and biobutanol and chemicals from straw materials