Kinetic study on the liquefaction of cornstalk in polyhydric alcohols

The powders of cornstalk were liquefied in polyhydric alcohols using sulfuric acid as catalyst at 130–190 °C for different reaction times. The kinetics along with liquefaction ratio was analyzed using kinetic models under different reaction temperatures. The result indicated that the liquefaction of cornstalk in polyhydric alcohols was multilevel. The apparent reaction rate constants increased with the increase of reaction temperatures. The apparent activation energy (E′) was 73.6 kJ mol−1 and the apparent frequency factor (A′) was found to be 8.8 × 105 S−1. According to transition-state theory, the apparent activation free enthalpy (ΔG′), apparent activation enthalpy (ΔH′), and apparent activation entropy (ΔS′) of liquefaction reaction slightly changed with temperature. With regards to apparent activation enthalpy, the result indicated that the liquefaction of cornstalk in polyhydric alcohols was predominantly an endothermic reaction in nature.