Thermodynamics of hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose from 0 to 100 °C: Cellulosic biofuel applications and climate change implications

Abstract

Hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose is a key reaction in renewable energy from biomass and in mineralization of soil organic matter to CO2. Conditional thermodynamic parameters, ΔhydG’ ΔhydH’ and ΔhydS’ and equilibrium glucose concentrations are reported for the reaction C6H10O5(cellulose) + H2O(l) ⇄ C6H12O6(aq) as functions of temperature from 0 to 100 °C. Activity coefficients of aqueous glucose solution were determined as a function of temperature. The reaction free energy ΔhydG’ becomes more negative as temperature increases, suggesting that producing cellulosic biofuels at higher temperatures will result in higher conversion. Also, cellulose is a major source of carbon in soil and is degraded by soil microorganisms into CO2 and H2O. Therefore, global warming will make this reaction more rapid, leading to more CO2 and accelerated global warming by a positive feedback.