Thermal decomposition study of isolated lignin using temperature modulated TGA

Temperature modulated TGA (MTGA) was utilized to study the kinetics of lignin pyrolysis. Three industrial lignin preparations were investigated: softwood kraft lignin, hardwood kraft lignin, and Alcell lignin. Unlike conventional TGA, MTGA provides apparent activation energy (Ea) distribution curve using a single experimental run in a relatively short experimental time. Under Hi-Res conditions using a dynamic heating rate, the activation energies were higher than those determined using a constant heating rate. Likewise, small sample masses provided higher activation energies than those run with large sample mass. These effects can be eliminated by using a relatively large sample mass, 10 mg. In this study, we discuss the effect of MTGA conditions on calculating Ea distribution curves for lignin pyrolysis.