The present study investigated the degradation of un-pretreated wheat straw, corn stalk, and rice straw by a lignocellulose-degrading microbial consortium XDC-2. Following six days of cultivation, exocellular xylanase activities were 414.9, 491.9, and 335 U/mL, respectively. After 12 days, the rice straw had lost 39.71% of its weight, hemicellulose and cellulose losses of 78.27% and 14.08%, respectively. The total amount of volatile products reached a maximum on day six for rice straw degradation. The four major types of volatile products were acetic acid, propionic acid, butanoic acid, and glycerin, all of which would be suitable substrates for conversion to methanol by anaerobic digestion. According to PCR-DGGE analysis, XDC-2 remained stable during the degradation process of untreated lignocellulosic biomass. These results demonstrate the potential for further development and application of XDC-2; it is capable of degrading un-pretreated lignocellulosic materials, and has a low cost of operation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.