UTILIZATION OF WASTE CELLULOSE FOR PRODUCTION OF CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS VIA ACID HYDROLYSIS.

Solid waste is now generally recognized as both a major problem and an underutilized renewable resource for materials and energy recovery. The large amounts of cellulose present in such wastes warrant their consideration as an alternate feedstock to petrochemicals for fuels, intermediates and synthetic proteins. The crucial step in this developing technology is optimizing the conversion of cellulose to its monomer - glucose. Experiments are described which show that selected pretreatments of cellulosic waste followed by a rapid high temperature acid hydrolysis can produce glucose yields in the order of 50% based on the available cellulose. Studies are under way towards the design and construction of a continuous acid hydrolysis process which is to be initially demonstrated in a 1 ton/day pilot plant facility. Consideration is being given to combining acid hydrolysis-anaerobic fermentation for methane production as a potentially economic attractive alternative to ethanol manufacture from glucose.