Kinetics of Dilute Sulfuric Acid Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Materials for Ethanol Production

Lignocellulose, as an abundant polysaccharide source, can be converted into ethanol, an alternative energy source. Major steps in producing ethanol from lignocellulosic substance are hydrolysis to produce sugars, fermentation of sugars to produce ethanol, and ethanol purification. This study reports the experimental results of dilute sulfuric acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials at high temperatures and pressures as well as non-isothermal condition. Fermentation was conducted to verify whether the sugars formed could be converted into ethanol or not. The hydrolysis kinetic models are important for designing and optimizing processes. Therefore, this study will develop the kinetics, simple to complex models (homogeneous, heterogeneous, sugar degradation effect). The mixture of raw material and sulfuric acid solution was heated in an autoclave. During the reaction, the temperature was increasing (non-isothermal) and then was kept constant after reaching a certain value (final temperature). The raw materials selected are rice husk, twig,com cob, leaf, sawdust, and mixture of them. The catalyst concentrations and final temperatures were varied. The samples were taken at temperature of 140&de