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Poster Presentation 1-19
Apparent Influence of Reactor Pressure on the Distribution of the Degree of Polymerization of Xylose Oligomers Produced Through Acid Hydrolysis of Xylan
Vanessa Castleberry and G. Peter van Walsum
Department of Environmental Studies, Baylor University PO Box 97266, Waco, TX 76798-7266
Telephone: (254) 710-6552; Fax: (254) 710-2309; E-mail: Gpeter_van_Walsum@Baylor.edu
As research into pretreatment systems has progressed, it has become increasingly apparent that a fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms at work in pretreatment is lacking. A current issue gaining much attention is the hydrolysis of the hemicellulose component of wood, typically composed primarily of xylan. Optimizing this hydrolysis is key to attaining both high product yields and fast reaction kinetics.
A model is proposed for predicting the distribution of the degree of polymerization (DP) of xylose oligomers resulting from hydrolysis of purified xylan. The model assumes a simplified geometry, representing linear polymers of the xylan, and random location of hydrolysis events. Despite its highly idealized nature, the model generates results that closely resemble laboratory findings for the distribution of DP of xylose oligomers. Deviations between results from the idealized model and actual experiments appear to correlate to the pressure in the reactor. It is hypothesized that increased reactor pressure may shift the distribution of DP to larger oligomers because of enhanced access to the interior of solid xylan particles.
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