ACID HYDROLYSIS PROCESS OF CELLULOSIC AND LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIALS, DIGESTION VESSEL AND HYDROLYSIS REACTOR

摘要

The present invention relates to an enhanced process for sugar production through the acid hydrolysis of cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials characterized by the treatment of these materials in three steps. In the first step, it is made a digestion of the lignocellulosic material using a solvent capable of partially dissolving the lignin, which constitutes part of the lignocellulosic material. In the second step, the cellulosic material resulting from the treatment with the solvent is subjected to an acid treatment in such conditions that mainly hemicellulose is hydrolyzed to form a sugar solution rich with pentose monomers and oligomers. In the third step, the cellulosic material from the second step is subjected to an acid treatment in such conditions that the major part of the cellulose is hydrolyzed to form a sugar solution rich with hexose monomers and oligomers. This invention also relates to a Digestion Vessel and a Reactor, with this set being constituted by a single vessel or a set of vessels where it's possible to identify three areas where the three process steps are conducted.