ISOTHERMAL PYROLYSIS OF CELLULOSE - KINETICS AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC MASS SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS OF DEGRADATION PRODUCTS

Untreated and fire‐retardant‐treated white α‐cellulose samples were isothermally pyrolyzed in a fluidized bath in a nitrogen environment at 298–360°C. Results were reported in terms of volatilization (based on weight loss‐time measurements) and the degradation products (based on gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric analysis). The findings products (based on gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric analysis). The findings on untreated cellulose indicate that: (1) pyrolysis occurs in three distinct phases in the temperature range 276–360°C; (2) there is a single activation energy of 42 kcal/mole over this temperature range; (3) the initial rapid weight loss is not due to the desoprtion of water, but primarily to decomposition of the cellulose; molecules: (4) there is little difference in either the quality or relative quantity of the volatiles generated during the three different phases of pyrolysis. The findings on treated cellulose show that the fire retardant, KHCO3, does not markedly change the types of degradation products having molecular weights below about 110, althought it does change their relative concentrations. Furthermore, the rate of product generation and the quantity of residual char are increased. Copyright © 1969 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.