Kinetics of acid hydrolysis of arabinogalactans

The kinetics of the acid hydrolysis of arabinogalactans (AG) was studied isothermally in a batch reactor. AG was hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid and the main parameters established were the acid concentration (pH), temperature and AG concentration. The hydrolysis rate increased with the acid concentration (pH) and temperature. Complete hydrolysis of AG to arabinose and galactose was achieved at 90°C and pH 1 without any further degradation of the sugars. A first-order kinetic model including two simultaneous reactions for the formation of arabinose and galactose was successfully fitted to the experimental data. The rate constants and activation energies were calculated from the model. The decrease of the average molecular weight was also explained by the model.