In this study, FeCl3 was proven to be an efficient catalyst for glucan hydrolysis to produce levulinic acid (LA) with corn stalk as substrate. The use of a well evaluated and detailed model to study the kinetics, and the use of corn stalk instead of cellulose as raw material to produce LA, make our work original. Through the experiment, a maximum LA concentration of 16.14 gfi. was obtained under 180 degrees C with 0.5 mol/L FeCl3 and that equates to an LA yield of 48.89%. A mechanistic kinetic model was developed to predict the yields of glucose, HMF and LA that are consistent with the experimental results. The analysis of related kinetic parameters and the response surface plots of LA yield with respect to temperature and catalyst concentration helped to provide a deep insight into the whole reaction process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.