NOVELTY - Decrystallizing cellulose (M1) involves treating a cellulosic material with an alkali in a co-solvent system to form decrystallized cellulose, the co-solvent system comprising water and a second water-miscible solvent; and stabilizing the decrystallized cellulose by washing out the alkali to yield a decrystallized cellulose stable in aqueous medium.    USE - For decrystallizing cellulose useful for preparing sugar, particularly glucose, which used as feedstock for production of biofuels; for producing cellulosic ethanol (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The method is more accessible for enzymatic or chemical modification e.g. depolymerization or hydrolysis reactions; enhances the conversion of cellulose-based feedstocks for use in production of biofuels and cellulose derivatives. The method includes reacting cellulose with treatment solution under mild conditions of temperature and pressure that optimizes economic feasibility. The resulting decrystallized cellulose allows for much more uniform substitution along the cellulose chains, thus minimizing problems of quality control currently inherent in producing cellulose derivative products.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for following:    (1) producing cellulosic ethanol (M2) involving treating a cellulosic material with an alkali in an alcohol/water co-solvent system to yield a decrystallized cellulosic material; washing the cellulosic material to remove the alkali; hydrolyzing the cellulosic material to yield sugars; fermenting the sugars to produce ethanol; and separating the ethanol from the fermentation mix;    (2) pretreating cellulose to decrystallize the cellulose (M3) involving contacting the cellulose with a treatment solution of an alkali in an alcohol/water co-solvent system;    (3) producing sugars (M4) involving treating cellulosic material with an alkali in an alcohol/water co-solvent system to yield a decrystallized cellulosic material; washing the cellulosic material to remove the alkali, and hydrolyzing the cellulosic material to yield sugars;    (4) a kit comprising alkali in an alcohol/water co-solvent, cellulase enzymes, at least one flocculants, and instructions for decrystallizing the cellulose to produce a decrystallized cellulose and instructions for hydrolyzing the decrystallized cellulose to produce a hydrolysis product; and    (5) producing cellulosic biofuels (M5) involving treating a cellulosic material with an alkali in an alcohol/water co-solvent system to yield a decrystallized cellulose; washing the decrystallized cellulose to remove the alkali; optionally hydrolyzing the cellulose to glucose and cello-oligodextrins; and catalytically reforming the decrystallized cellulose into hydrocarbons or biofuels, or catalytically reforming the glucose and cello-oligodextrins into hydrocarbons.