Meranti wood sawdust (MWS) is a cheap and widely available lignocellulosic biomass, which can be a potential source of xylose. This xylose can be an economic raw material for the production of a wide variety of specialty chemicals, mainly xylitol. It is particularly important to establish rapid hydrolysis conditions, which can yield xyloserich hydrolysate that do not require further treatment. The aim of this research was to study the effect of residence time, temperature, acid concentration, and liquid to solid ratio (LSR) on the formation of xylose and byproducts. Batch hydrolysis was performed using different levels of residence time (10-120 mm), temperature (105-130 degrees C), H2SO4 concentration (2-12%), and LSR (8-20 g/g). One-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method was followed to select the optimum level of parameters. The residence time, temperature, and acid concentration were found to be the major factors affecting xylose production with the effective level of 60 min, 125 degrees C, and 4%, respectively. In these conditions, the xylose concentration was 17.9 g/l, corresponding to a yield of above 86% of the potential concentration. (C) 2011 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.