Despite continuing interest in various processes for producing ethanol or other chemicals from agricultural and wood residues, little attention has been given to improving the kinetic modeling of dilute acid saccharification of cellulosics, a key step in many of these processes. A new model for cellulose saccharification is proposed. It incorporates the effect of the neutralizing capacity of the substrate, the presence of readily hydrolyzable cellulose, and the reversion reactions of glucose. Although general in nature, the model was developed specifically for application to the dilute sulfuric acid saccharification of prehydrolyzed wood lignocellulose. A computer program to simulate the new model under various reaction conditions was prepared. This program reasonably predicts yields of fermentable (monomeric) sugar, reducing sugar, reversion material, remaining cellulose, as well as glucose lost by dehydration, all as a function of acid concentration, temperature, and reaction time.
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