Production of hemicellulosic sugars from Pinus pinaster wood by sequential steps of aqueous extraction and acid hydrolysis

Pinus pinaster wood samples were subjected to aqueous extraction at 130A degrees C to remove extractives and to a sequential stage of hydrothermal processing under selected operational conditions to obtain hemicelluloses-free solids and liquors containing hemicelluloses-derived products (mainly oligomeric saccharides and monosaccharides). Liquors were separated from the media, supplemented with sulfuric acid (4%), and heated to cause the posthydrolysis of oligomeric saccharides to yield hemicellulosic sugars. The effects of the major operational conditions on the yields of the target products were assessed in selected experiments. The considered process enabled the recovery of hemicellulosic sugars (mannose, glucose, xylose, and galactose) at almost quantitative yields.