Cellobiose hydrolysis into glucose was chosen as a model system for cellulose breakdown to investigate glycosidic bond cleavage. The hydrolysis was enhanced by increased acidity in an inert gas medium, while air-assisted hydrolysis with a neutral solution achieved over 70% glucose yield. Hydrogen peroxide, as a stronger oxidant than air, converted cellobiose to carboxyl compounds, which lowered the glucose selectivity. At 150 degrees C, the selectivity from cellobiose to glucose was very low on porous gamma-Al2O3 supported catalysts, even lower than without a catalyst. When the active metals were prepared on non-porous supports such as spherical alumina (alpha phase), the overall yield of glucose was dramatically improved at 120 degrees C. Similar improvements were obtained for another disaccharide model, sucrose, which achieved greater than 90% sucrose conversion with selectivity in excess of 90% at 80 degrees C.