Patent ID: 8518683

Claim:
A mixture comprising: (a) a low molecular weight sugar, (b) a treated lignocellulosic material having a porosity of at least 35% and comprising a plurality of saccharide units arranged in a molecular chain, wherein from about 1 out of every 2 to about 1 out of every 250 saccharide units includes a carboxylic acid functional group, and (c) a solvent, (d) a fermenting microorganism, wherein the treated lignocellulosic material comprises a lignocellulosic material that has been irradiated with ionizing radiation to provide a first level of radicals and subsequently quenched in an oxidizing medium to an extent that the radicals are at a second level lower than the first level, and the lignocellulosic material is oxidized to an extent that the carboxylic acid groups are generated, and the carboxylic acid groups act as receptor sites for attachment by the microorganism.