Hydrolysis of cotton fiber cellulose in formic acid

The hydrolysis of degreased cotton in formic acid has been studied in this paper. Hydrochloric acid is added as a catalyst. The crystalline index of degreased cotton decreases gradually with the increase in treatment time. The effects of the reaction temperature (from 55 to 65 °C) and reaction time (from 2 to 9 h) on hydrolysis have been evaluated. The hydrolysis of cellulose and degradation of glucose increase with the increases in reaction time and temperature. The optimal conditions for the hydrolysis of degreased cotton is found to be at 65 °C for 5 h. Under the optimal conditions, 23% of the degreased cotton is turned into glucose. The maximum transformation ratio of degreased cotton to reducing sugars is 32%.