The effect of the neutralizing capacity of cellulosic materials on the kinetics of cellulose dilute acid hydrolysis

Abstract

The production of ethanol has become a new field of investigation for the satisfactory and economical treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW). Since cellulose is a major component of MSW it may be treated as a resource for fuel, chemical and energy recovery. The key, and the difficult, engineering point of this process is the cellulose hydrolysis step in which the chemically resistant cellulose is converted to sugar (glucose) in the presence of acid as a catalyst. The later fermentation to ethanol by yeast should not be a problem. One of the main problems encountered in determining cellulose acid hydrolysis kinetic parameters is the effect of the neutralization capacity of cellulosic materials on the effective acid concentration. This paper shows how important and influential can be the neutralization capacity of cellulosic materials (sawdust and MSW) and teh effect is subsequently quantified. The use of the pH as a measure of the real effective H 3O + concentration is strongly recommended.