Abstract: Levulinic acid was prepared by the method of high-pressure acid hydrolysis of rice straw. The purity of levulinic acid was determined by gas chromatography. The influences of the reaction temperature, reaction time, solid-liquid ratio and acid concentration on the yield of levulinic acid were investigated. The single factor experimental results showed that when the temperature was 170℃, the solid- liquid ratio was 1:10 and the acid concentration was 5% by mass, the yield of levulinic acid was 24.35%. At this optimal hydrolysis condition, no cellulose or pentosan was detected in the hydrolyzed residue.

Key words: levulinic acid, rice straw, acid hydrolysis