Patent ID: 8728779

Claim:
A method of producing butyric acid, the method comprising: (a) exposing a lignocellulosic material to electron beam irradiation for a sufficient period of time to reduce the recalcitrance of the lignocellulose material; (b) saccharifying the irradiated lignocellulosic material; (c) inoculating the irradiated saccharified lignocellulosic material with a microorganism of the genus Clostridium , selected to utilize the irradiated saccharified lignocellulosic material to produce butyric acid; (d) maintaining the inoculated irradiated saccharified lignocellulosic under conditions that allow the microorganism of the genus Clostridum to produce said butyric acid; and (e) recovering said butyric acid from the maintained inoculated irradiated saccharified lignocellulosic material.