A process for the hydrolysis of ligno-cellulosic biomass comprising the steps of A) Contacting a ligno-cellulosic feedstock, the feedstock comprised of biomass having a dry content and water with at least a portion of a solvent, the solvent comprised of water soluble hydrolyzed species; wherein at least some of the water soluble hydrolyzed species are the same as the water soluble hydrolyzed species obtainable from the hydrolysis of the biomass in the feedstock; B) maintaining the contact between the feedstock of the feedstock stream and the solvent in the presence of a catalyst composition, at a temperature in the range of 20°C to 200°C for a time in the range of 5 minutes to 72 hours to create a hydrolyzed product from the biomass in the feedstock; wherein said catalyst comprises at least one enzyme or microorganism which converts at least one of the compounds in the biomass to a compound or compounds of lower molecular weight; wherein the ratio of the amount of cellulose plus the amount of the products from hydrolyzed cellulose in the solvent to the amount of cellulose in the feed stock is at least 0.8:1; and wherein said water soluble hydrolyzed species are water soluble hydrolyzed species of cellulose chosen from glucose, cellobiose, and higher glucose polymers, including their respective dimers and oligomers; and water soluble hydrolyzed species of hemicellulose chosen from xylan, glucuronoxylan, arabinoxylan, glucomannan, and xyloglucan; and wherein said process is conducted without adding an inorganic acid or lignin solubilizing organic solvents; and wherein said ligno-cellulosic feedstock contains greater than 5% by weight of the dry content of cellulose. A) Contacting a ligno-cellulosic feedstock, the feedstock comprised of biomass having a dry content and water with at least a portion of a solvent, the solvent comprised of water soluble hydrolyzed species; wherein at least some of the water soluble hydrolyzed species are the same as the water soluble hydrolyzed species obtainable from the hydrolysis of the biomass in the feedstock; B) maintaining the contact between the feedstock of the feedstock stream and the solvent in the presence of a catalyst composition, at a temperature in the range of 20°C to 200°C for a time in the range of 5 minutes to 72 hours to create a hydrolyzed product from the biomass in the feedstock; wherein said catalyst comprises at least one enzyme or microorganism which converts at least one of the compounds in the biomass to a compound or compounds of lower molecular weight; wherein the ratio of the amount of cellulose plus the amount of the products from hydrolyzed cellulose in the solvent to the amount of cellulose in the feed stock is at least 0.8:1; and wherein said water soluble hydrolyzed species are water soluble hydrolyzed species of cellulose chosen from glucose, cellobiose, and higher glucose polymers, including their respective dimers and oligomers; and water soluble hydrolyzed species of hemicellulose chosen from xylan, glucuronoxylan, arabinoxylan, glucomannan, and xyloglucan; and wherein said process is conducted without adding an inorganic acid or lignin solubilizing organic solvents; and wherein said ligno-cellulosic feedstock contains greater than 5% by weight of the dry content of cellulose. wherein said catalyst comprises at least one enzyme or microorganism which converts at least one of the compounds in the biomass to a compound or compounds of lower molecular weight; wherein the ratio of the amount of cellulose plus the amount of the products from hydrolyzed cellulose in the solvent to the amount of cellulose in the feed stock is at least 0.8:1; and wherein said water soluble hydrolyzed species are water soluble hydrolyzed species of cellulose chosen from glucose, cellobiose, and higher glucose polymers, including their respective dimers and oligomers; and water soluble hydrolyzed species of hemicellulose chosen from xylan, glucuronoxylan, arabinoxylan, glucomannan, and xyloglucan; and wherein said process is conducted without adding an inorganic acid or lignin solubilizing organic solvents; and wherein said ligno-cellulosic feedstock contains greater than 5% by weight of the dry content of cellulose.