Abstract
Application of high temperature water to produce levoglucosan from glucose was studied. The reactions were performed using a tube reactor, in which the temperature of glucose solution can rapidly increase by mixing with high temperature water. Kinetics of glucose decomposition in high temperature water was followed by a first order reaction. The temperature dependence of the reaction rate in the glucose decomposition was the Arrhenius type up to 360°C. However, above 360°C, the reaction rate decreased with temperature. The yields of levoglucosan were examined in a temperature range from 200 to 410°C. A range of pressure examined is 5 to 26 MPa. The instantaneous fractional yields of levoglucosan were between 5 to 32 mol%. The yield of levoglucosan increased with decreasing the pressure. Based on the alcohol dehydration mechanism, a possible reaction mechanisms to produce levoglucosan in high temperature water were proposed.
