Simulation of Dilute Acid hydrolysis of Wood Sawdust for Xylose Production using Aspen Plus

Dilute acid hydrolysis is one of the most effective pretreatment methods for lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of this study is to develop and simulate process model for xylose production using Aspen Plus simulator. Based on experimental study for xylose production, a flowsheet has been proposed for a possible commercial production. Sawdust was used as a feedstock for the simulation as it has above 29% of xylan content. The hydrolysis of hemicellulose and cellulose to its monomeric constituents were modeled by a series of first-order reactions. A kinetic and stoichiometric based reactor was used for dilute acid hydrolysis and neutralization process. The results from the simulation were compared with experimental study from literature. Results from the developed process model show a good agreement with experimental study with 2.4% overall mean error for xylose and 4.5% overall mean error for glucose production. Keywords— Acid Hydrolysis, Aspen Plus, Kinetic reaction Sawdust, Simulation.