TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The lignocellulosic material is selected from wood, wood pulp, papermaking sludge, paper pulp waste streams, particle board, grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, distillers grains, leaves, wheat straw, coconut hair, algae, switchgrass, Miscanthus, legume plants, sorghum, and/or biomass crops (Crambe).    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: The biomass material is hydrolyzed by treatment with an acid; with an enzyme or its mixture; or with an acid, followed by treatment with an enzyme. The biomass material is reduced in size prior to hydrolyzing. In the process (a), the hydrolysis step involves pretreatment with acid in an acidification unit, followed by de-watering. When the biomass material is lignocellulosic material, then the method involves combining Clostridium phytofermentans cells and a lignocellulosic material in a medium, and fermenting the lignocellulosic material under conditions and for a time to produce a fuel, where the conditions include maintaining the medium at a temperature of less than 45degreesC and maintaining a pH of the medium below 9.5; and the fuel is ethanol, and conditions include maintaining a concentration of the ethanol lower than 1 M. When the biomass material is a material comprising a carbohydrate, then the method involves combining Clostridium phytofermentans cells and material (m1) comprising a carbohydrate in a medium, where a concentration of the carbohydrate in the medium is greater than 40 mM (preferably greater than 50, especially greater than 100, particularly less than 2000), and fermenting the material comprising the carbohydrate under conditions and for a time to produce a fuel, where the material (m1) comprises a low molecular weight carbohydrate having a molecular weight of less than 1000, and high molecular weight carbohydrate having a molecular weight of greater than 1000. When the biomass is a material comprising a carbohydrate, then the method involves combining Clostridium phytofermentans cells, a second microbe (preferably yeast; and a bacterium different than Clostridium phytofermentans) and a material comprising a carbohydrate in a medium, and fermenting the material comprising the carbohydrate, where the fermenting is carried out under conditions and for a time to produce a fuel.Preferred Components: The material (m1) is pulverized such that it has a particle size of 5-50 microns; and is a blend of at least two carbohydrates. The material (m1) comprises a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material. The material (m1) comprises a low molecular weight carbohydrate formed by breaking down a high molecular weight carbohydrate, where the breaking down involves use of an enzyme selected from endoglucanases, exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases (CBH), beta-glucosidase, glycoside hydrolases, glycosyltransferases, lyases, and esterases active against components of hemicellulose, pectin, and/or starch. The material (m1) is free of lignin.Preferred Device: The fermenter additionally comprises at least one other microbes different than Clostridium phytofermentans, where the other microbes comprise at least one yeasts or at least one bacteria which is any one stains of Zymomonas mobilis.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The medium has dissolved in it constituents selected from growth factor, mineral, surfactant, and/or chelating agent. The low molecular weight carbohydrate is arabinose, cellobiose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, mannose, ribose, and/or xylose.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The high molecular weight carbohydrate is cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, polygalacturonic acid, pectin, starch, and/or xylan. The cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is selected from polycoated paper, Kraft paper, papermaking sludge, wood, wood pulp, distillers grains, particle board, leaves, grasses, grass clippings, rice hulls, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, wheat straw, coconut hair, algae, switchgrass, crambe, and/or biomass crops. EXAMPLE - Clostridium phytofermentans was grown in culture tubes in GS-2 medium containing cellulose at 25 or 50 mM (glucose equivalents), or xylan at 25 or 50 mM (xylose equivalents), or cellulose plus xylan, each at 25 or 50 mM, for a total carbohydrate concentration of 50 or 100 mM (monosaccharide equivalents). The initial pH of media was 7.5 and the initial Clostridium phytofermentans concentration was 0.8-1.1x107 cells/ml. Cultures were incubated under nitrogen atmosphere at 30degreesC. Carbohydrate degradation was monitored visually. In cultures containing both carbohydrates, cellulose and xylan were degraded simultaneously. The rate of decomposition of cellulose or xylan in cultures containing both carbohydrates was greater than or equal tothe rate of decomposition in cultures containing a single carbohydrate. The experiment demonstrated that the fermentation of cellulose by cultures of Clostridium phytofermentans was not inhibited by xylan, a five-carbon sugar polymer, and an important component of hemicellulose; and showed that cellulose and xylan were fermented simultaneously by cultures of Clostridium phytofermentans. In contrast, it appeared that other microbes were unable to ferment the 5-carbon sugars, or polymers that include 5-carbon sugar repeat units. Also, with other microbes, the 5-carbon sugars, or their polymers, were actually interfered with metabolic processes of the microbes to reduce fermentation rate and yield of ethanol.