Inorganic salts, NaCl, KCl, CaCl(2), MgCl(2). FeCl(2), FeSO(4), FeCl(3), and Fe(2)(SO(4))(3), were studied as catalysts for the degradation of hemicellulose in corn stover. FeCl(3) significantly increased the hemicellulose degradation in aqueous solutions heated between 140 and 200 degrees C with high xylose recovery and low cellulose removal, amounting to similar to 90% and <10%, respectively. Hemicellulose removal increased 11-fold when the corn stover was pretreated with 0.1 M FeCl(3) Compared to pretreatment with hot water under otherwise the same conditions, which was also 6-fold greater than pretreatment with dilute sulfuric acid at the same pH. Optimum pretreatment conditions were found where the corn stover was pretreated with 0.1 M FeCl(3) at 140 degrees C for 20 min. Under Such conditions, 91% of hemicellulose was removed, and the recovery of monomeric and oligomeric xylose in liquid fraction achieved 89%, meanwhile, only 9% of cellulose was removed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.