Dissertation (MSc Chemistry)This research work presents the optimization of the reaction parameters for the productions of HMF from Tanzanian sugarcane bagasse under pressurized conditions using high pressure reactor. The sugarcane bagasse (25 g) was hydrolyzed at different temperatures, different concentrations of the hydrolyzing acid, and different reaction time. A total of 27 hydrolysis experiments were carried out in a non-stirred SS-304 pressure reactor. The sugarcane bagasse was hydrolyzed using sulphuric acid (0.5-1.5 M) at temperature ranging from 180 – 200℃ with reaction time ranging from 10-20 min. The absorbance of the HMF produced at different reaction conditions was measured using UV-spectrophotometer and the concentration was calculated using calibration graph. The results show that the yield of HMF produced depends on the interactive effect of all the parameters (i.e., concentrations of hydrolyzing acid, reaction time and reaction temperature). A maximum yield of 4.519mg/mL of HMF was obtained when sugarcane bagasse was hydrolyzed using 1M sulphuric acid at 190℃ for 15 min.