Hydrolytic Processing of Rice Husks in Aqueous Media: A Kinetic Assessment

The kinetics of hemicellulose decomposition in the non-isothermal rice husk autohydrolysis was experimentally assessed. Experimental data on the time course of the concentrations of hemicellulosic polymers (xylan, araban and acetyl groups) and their autohydrolysis products (including sugar oligomers, monosaccharides, furfural and acetic acid) were fitted to several kinetic models based on multiple pseudohomogeneous first-order reactions. Sugar oligomers were the major reaction products. The hydrolytic conversion of xylan, araban and acetyl groups was well interpreted by kinetic models based on consecutive and parallel reactions.