Acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass with minimal use of an acid catalyst

A process for the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides present in a liquid biomass feed stream derived from pre-treated lingo-cellulosic biomass, wherein the process comprises the steps of

• A. Creating an acidic stream from the liquid biomass feed stream by increasing the number of H+ ions to the liquid biomass feed stream in an amount sufficient so that the pH of the acidic stream is at least 0.5 pH units less than the pH of the liquid biomass feed stream prior to the addition of the H+ ions wherein less than 80% of the total amount of H+ ions added to the feed stream are derived from an acid or acids, and
• B. Hydrolyzing the acidic stream by increasing the temperature of the acidic stream to a hydrolysis temperature greater than 80° C.

A process for the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides present in a liquid lingo-cellulosic biomass feed stream derived from pre-treated biomass, wherein the process comprises the steps of

• A. increasing the number of H+ ions to the liquid biomass feed stream in an amount sufficient so that the pH of the liquid biomass feed stream is at least 0.5 pH units less than the pH of the liquid biomass feed stream prior to the addition of the H+ ions, and
• B. Hydrolyzing the liquid lingo-cellulosic biomass feed stream at a hydrolysis temperature greater than 80° C. wherein,
• C. at least a portion of the increased number of H+ ions is created in-situ by adding a compound which does not contain H′ ions capable of disassociation in water to the feed stream, and the compound catalyzes a reaction, or the compound itself reacts, with component(s) already present in the liquid lingo-cellulosic biomass feed stream to create at least a portion of the H+ ions.