Hydrolysis of Cellulose by a Solid Acid Catalyst under Optimal Reaction Conditions

The hydrolysis of cellulose with a highly active solid acid catalyst, a carbon material bearing SO3H, COOH, and OH groups, was investigated at 323-393 K using an artificial neural network (ANN) and a response surface methodology (RSM). The ANN models developed for experimental design accurately reflect the novel solid-solid interface catalysis. The ANN models and RSM revealed that the amount of water dominates the hydrolysis reaction as well as cellulose saccharification by concentrated sulfuric acid, a conventional saccharification method. The correlations of the reaction and each parameter are discussed on the basis of the reaction mechanism, ANN, and RSM.