Development of a general kinetic model for organic acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of corn stalk

Efficient separation of carbohydrates and lignin, and converting them into valuable products are still major challenges for biorefinery commercialization. In this paper, organic acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of corn stalk was carried out as the first step of biorefinery. The hydrolysis behavior of lignocellulose from different tissues of corn stalk under different conditions (e.g., acid species and other process parameters) has been deeply analyzed. The results showed that the dissociation constants (pKa) were closely related to the hydrolysis of sugars, and oxalic acid had significant degradation ability on carbohydrates. Moreover, two robust models have been developed for monitoring the hydrolysis kinetics of carbohydrates in corn bark and pith. Lastly, the residue solids-driven activated carbon materials have also been developed for application in the fields of energy storage and environmental protection. This work provides a waste-free biorefinery reference for high-value utilization of corn stalk or other lignocellulose based on organic acid pretreatment.