Method for producing sugar anhydride and saccharide

Abstract

A method for producing sugar anhydride, comprising: (1) first heat treatment step of heating polysaccharide having reducing end group at 130-350° C. in the presence of C1-C10 alcohol compound free of an acetal structure; (2) second heat treatment step of heating the first heat treated polysaccharide for pyrolysis to form a gaseous sugar anhydride, the second heat treatment forming no char or only filmy char and forming no carbon monoxide or some carbon monoxide such that the amount of carbon monoxide formed is not more than 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the absolute dry weight of the polysaccharide; and (3) recovery step of cooling the gaseous sugar anhydride to a temperature not higher than the boiling point thereof. According to this method, sugar anhydride can be easily produced at a high yield.

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