606220 Disclosed is a method comprising: irradiating a lignocellulosic material in air with from about 10 Mrad to about 150 Mrad of radiation, using an electron beam, to generate carboxylic acid groups by reaction of the irradiated material with the air and thereby provide an irradiated lignocellulosic material having a larger number of carboxylic acid groups than the lignocellulosic material from which the irradiated material was obtained, and further comprising converting the irradiated lignocellulosic material to a product selected from the group consisting of alcohols, organic acids, sugars, hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof, utilizing an enzyme and/or a microorganism.
