Abstract: The present invention relates to protease variants, polynucleotides encoding said variants, nucleic acid constructs and expression vectors comprising said polynucleotides, host cells expressing said variants, methods of obtaining the variants, detergent compositions comprising said variants, and use of said variants or said detergent compositions.

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: Strict anaerobic thermophilic bacterium belonging to the group of Thermoanaerobacter italicus subsp. marato subsp. nov. and mutants and derivatives thereof. The bacterium is particularly suitable for the production of fermentation products such as ethanol, lactic acid, acetic acid and hydrogen from lignocellulosic biomass.