The alkaline degradation of cellobiose (4-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-D-glucopyranose) results in non-oxidized products, like lactic acid, α- and β-glucoisosaccharinic acids, and glucose together with oxidized products, like glycolic acid, glyceric acid, 3,4-dihydroxybutanoic, and 3-deoxy-erythro/threo-pentonic acids. In this study, based on our earlier results on the formation of these main products at varying pressures (1, 5, and 10 bar) and temperatures (20, 35, and 50 °C), kinetic considerations for their formation were made. The degradation of cellobiose followed the first order decay under nitrogen atmosphere and could be approximated by pseudo-first order decay kinetics under oxygen atmosphere. The kinetic calculations revealed that at 20 ^oC the degradation of cellobiose proceeded about three times slower in 1 bar air than in 1 bar nitrogen. Furthermore, the activation energy for cellobiose degradation in 1 bar nitrogen was 79 kJ/mol and increased to 122 kJ/mol in 1 bar air. Under other conditions investigated the activation energy was about 100 kJ/mol. Reaction rates (h^-1) for the degradation of cellobiose under nitrogen atmosphere at 20, 35, and 50 ^oC were 0.059−0.070, 0.267−0.289, and 1.429−2.464, respectively, whereas the corresponding values under oxygen atmosphere were 0.017−0.031, 0.207−0.234, and 1.369−1.523.