Review of hemicellulose hydrolysis in softwoods and bamboo

Hydrolysis to remove hemicellulose and/or generate saccharides is an integral unit operation for the production of chemicals, fuels, and materials from lignocellulosic biomass. Softwoods and bamboo are both widely available but comparatively understudied feedstocks. This paper first reviews the unique hemicellulose chemistry of these feedstocks and the fundamental mechanism of polysaccharide hydrolysis. The influence of temperature, time, acid concentration, particle size, and reactor configuration on water-only hydrolysis, or autohydrolysis, and dilute acid hydrolysis are summarized. The composition, molecular weight, and yields of saccharides and degradation products generated during hydrolysis are presented. Finally, the types, strengths, and weaknesses of current hemicellulose hydrolysis kinetic models are reviewed. (C) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd