Kinetic studies of hemicellulose hydrolysis of corn stover at atmospheric pressure

The object of this work was to study the xylose production by hydrolysis of corn stover with diluted sulfuric acid at 100 degrees C. Several concentrations of H2SO4 (2%, 4% and 6% w/w) and reaction time (0-300 min) were evaluated. Kinetic parameters of mathematical models for predicting the concentrations of xylose, glucose and furfural in the hydrolysates were found. Optimal conditions for hydrolysis were 5.5% H2SO4 at 100 degrees C for 60 min; under these conditions, 86.7% of xylose yield and 2.82 g/g selectivity were attained, leading to liquors containing up to 18.73 g/l xylose, 6.64 g/l glucose and 0.63 g/l furfural. The models could be successfully used to predict the concentrations of xy-lose, glucose and furfural within 0-300 min under experimental acid concentrations. Furthermore, the hydrolysis process of corn stover using dilute acid could be conceived as the first stage of an integrated strategy for corn stover utilization.