Abstract
Degradation of polysaccharide materials such as starch, cellulose and cellulosic materials such as rice straw, corn cobs and sawdust in concentrated alkaline solution uniquely promotes the production of glycolic and oxalic acids. Conversion of starch at 240°C in an alkaline solution with a water/NaOH ratio of 1.28 (16N NaOH) and a NaOH/starch ratio of 16 produced yields of 46% glycolic acid and 24% oxalic acid. Comparable yields from celluose are 41% glycolic acid and 13% oxalic acid. Yields of glycolic and oxalic acids from cellulosic materials such as rice straw are also high, and reflect conversion of non-cellulose components to these organic acids also. Decreasing the NaOH/starch or NaOH/cellulosic material ratios in these reaction systems while maintaining the water/NaOH ratio decreases the yields of glycolic and oxalic acids based on starting starch or cellulosic weight. However, the yields based on reactor volume or alkali weight are increased sufficiently to consider using NaOH/starch or NaOH/cellulosic material ratios as low as 2 or 3.
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