Abstract: Lignocellulosic biomass is pre-treated to provide crude monosaccharides and crude polysaccharides, which are then hydrolysed in the presence of at least one enzyme to provide crude monosaccharides. These are continuously provided in an aqueous fermentation broth at a concentration such as 100 g/L along with associated inhibitory factors to a fermentation vessel containing suspended thermophilic microorganisms, and then continuously fermented at elevated temperature by said microorganisms to form ethanol. At least a portion of said ethanol is continually removed from the fermentation broth to permit the fermentation to continue despite the introduction of the inhibitory factors.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microorganism growth substrate which comprises a sterile nutrient composition derived from the biomass of a culture of bacteria including methanotrophic bacteria and further containing at least one sterile nutrient. A preferred biomass material is that derived from a microbial culture comprising Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) (strain NCIMB 11132), Ralstonia sp. DB3 (strain NCIMB 13287) and Brevibacillus agri DB5 (strain NCIMB 13289), optionally in combination with Aneurinibacillus sp. DB4 (strain NCIMB 13288).