Characterization of dicarboxylic acids for cellulose hydrolysis.

In this paper, we show that dilute maleic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, hydrolyzes cellobiose, the repeat unit of cellulose, and the microcrystalline cellulose Avicel as effectively as dilute sulfuric acid but with minimal glucose degradation. Maleic acid, superior to other carboxylic acids reported in this paper, gives higher yields of glucose that is more easily fermented as a result of lower concentrations of degradation products. These results are especially significant because maleic acid, in the form of maleic anhydride, is widely available and produced in large quantities annually.