The hydrolysis process to obtain the so-called “reducing sugars” represents the main step involved in the
production of the second generation bioethanol. This product can be obtained directly from various types of green
biomass, replacing the use of cereals cultivations, with obvious benefits to the environment and the economy of
agricultural production. However, it is necessary to improve the hydrolysis process of the cellulose to achieve this
goal. To this purpose, we applied a chemical process formerly used. The values of sugars yield were increased by
about 40% with respect to the previous study. Further significant cost savings were accomplished, resulting from
the recovery of the by-product, calcium sulfate, commercially known as gypsum.
