Some Low-Temperature Phenomena of Cellulose Pyrolysis

Abstract

Pyrolysis behavior of cellulose was studied at relatively low pyrolysis temperature (below 280°C, under nitrogen). This paper focuses on the reducing end-group in cellulose as a potential reactive site. Number of the reducing end-group could be reduced down to 17% in Avicel PH-101 by heat treatment with glycerol. Thermal glycosylation occurred between the reducing end-groups and hydroxyl groups of glycerol. With this cellulose (named as G-cellulose) as a model with less reducing end-groups, influences of the reducing end-groups on color formation and weight-loss behavior were studied. Color formation was significantly inhibited in G-cellulose. Initial weight-loss in thermogravimetric (TG) analysis was also reduced. Thus, these low temperature phenomena were suggested to arise from the reducing end-groups in cellulose. Furthermore, pyrolysis studies of the cellulose – methyl-β-D-glucopyrnoside (Me-β-Glc) mixture implied that the reducing end-groups activate the transglycosylation reactions for Me-β-Glc. This may be involved in the initial weight-loss in TG analysis.