| CPC B01J 31/0225 (2013.01) [C08B 1/00 (2013.01)] | 27 Claims |

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1. A method for hydrolyzing cellulosic material, the method comprising:
admixing a cellulosic material with a sulfonated polyaromatic catalyst in water under temperature and pressure sufficient to at least partially hydrolyze the cellulosic material and to form a monosaccharide hydrolysis product, thereby providing a reaction mixture comprising (i) an aqueous phase comprising the water and the monosaccharide hydrolysis product in solution therein, and (ii) a dispersed phase comprising the sulfonated polyaromatic catalyst; and,
recovering the monosaccharide hydrolysis product from the aqueous phase of the reaction mixture;
wherein the sulfonated polyaromatic catalyst comprises a mixture of partially sulfonated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that is substantially insoluble in the aqueous phase.
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