Production of Xylose from Diluted Sulfuric Acid Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw

The objectives of this study were to generate fermentable xylose by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of wheat straw and investigate the effect of hemicellulose removal on the physical and chemical properties of the unhydrolyzed solid residue (USR). Different reaction conditions, including concentration of sulfuric acid (COS), temperature, and time, were tested for their effects on the yield of xylose and the USR. The ideal hydrolysis conditions for xylose production were 0.5% of COS at 140 degrees C for 90 min, with the xylose yield of 0.185 g/g wheat straw. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that the acid hydrolysis only caused slight changes in the functional groups and the crystal form of wheat straw at mild conditions, while higher temperature or higher COS exacerbated these changes.