**5. Conclusion and future recommendations**

Sugarcane bagasse (SB) and straw (SS) constitute a sizeable fraction of agro-residues in many countries. Brazil is the largest producer of sugarcane residues in the world. Hemicel‐ lulose, in both raw materials, is an important fraction and could be a sustainable alternative for the production of second generation ethanol, industrial enzymes, food/feed and fine chemicals such as lactic acid, succinic acid, etc. It can be easily converted into simple sugars by thermochemical processes and the resultant sugar solution after conditioning and detoxi‐ fication, can be converted into the aforementioned products by biotechnological routes. Al‐ terations in thermochemical processes such as implication of counter-current, plug-flow, percolation and shrinking-bed reactors could be helpful to maximize the sugars recovery with minimum inhibitors generation. There are several promising detoxification strategies available which remove the inhibitors from hydrolysates. The detoxified sugar solution can be converted into valuable products including second generation ethanol by appropriate mi‐ croorganisms under batteries of fermentation. Laboratories based research progress has clearly showed that it is quite possible to convert hemicellulose into commercially signifi‐ cant products with desired yields and productivities. However, it is necessary to build a ro‐ bust process to be employed at industrial scale. Bio-products derived from hemicellulose of SB/SS have shown potential to replace chemically synthesize products. Owing to this, bioindustrial companies offer numerous opportunities to develop unique functionality and marketing benefits from the products derived from hemicellulose of SB/SS creating long term sustainability and green environment.

#### **Acknowledgements**

The authors acknowledge the funding sources Fapesp, Capes and CNPq. Editors would like to thank EEL/USP for providing necessary facilities and basic infrastructure. We are grateful to BIOEN-FAPESP, CNPq and CAPES, Brazil for the financial assistance to our laboratory to carry out the research work on various aspects of lignocellulose biotechnology.
