CONVERSION OF CELLULOSE

LIGNINS OF CONSISTENT QUALITY APPEAR TO BE OBTAINED AS UNREACTED PRODUCTS OF A CATALYTIC PROCESS FOR HYDROLYSIS OF LIGNOCELLULOSICS TO FERMENTABLE SUGARS. THE CATALYTIC AGENT, AN INORGANIC SALT, HYDROLYZES BOTH HEMICELLULOSE AND ALPHACELLULOSE SO RAPIDLY AND AT SUCH RELATIVELY LOW ENERGY LEVELS THAT LIGNINS MAY BE RELATIVELY UNAFFECTED BY BY THE REACTION. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE RESULTANT LIGNINS VARY WITH TYPE OF WOOD OR OTHER LIGNOCELLULOSIC FEEDSTOCK, BUT APPEAR TO BE CONSISTENT FOR EACH FEEDSTOCK. IN GENERAL, LIGNINS EMERGE FROM HYDROLYSIS IN THREE FORMS: AS FINE GRANULES EASILY CAPTURED AS FILTER CAKE; AS MICRO SCOPIC PARTICLES DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE SUGAR-CATALYST SOLUTION; AND, TO A MINOR EXTENT, AS SOLUTE IN THE SUGAR -CATALYST SOLUTION. PROPOSED RESEARCH IS INTENDED TO DETERMINE DISTRIBUTION OF THE THREE TYPES OF LIGNIN MONOMERS AND TO MEASURE DEGREE OF PHENOLATION AND EXTENT OF POLYMERIZATION TO BE EXPECTED FROM EACH OF SEVERAL TYPES OF FEEDSTOCKS.