Patent ID: 8138371

Claim:
A process for producing formic acid from a carbohydrate-containing material, the process comprising: introducing a carbohydrate-containing material to a first reactor; hydrolyzing the carbohydrate-containing material in the first reactor in the presence of a mineral acid for a first time period at a first temperature and a first pressure effective to form an intermediate hydrolysate comprising one or more sugars, wherein the mineral acid concentration is about 1 to 10% wt of the contents of the first reactor; transferring the intermediate hydrolysate from the first reactor to a second reactor; hydrolyzing the intermediate hydrolysate in the second reactor for a second time period at a second temperature less than 195 degrees C. and a second pressure effective to form a hydrolysate product comprising formic acid and levulinic acid; and isolating the formic acid in a vapor from the hydrolysate product, wherein the formic acid is produced in an amount that provides a molar ratio of the levulinic acid to the formic acid of at least 0.9.