Thermal decomposition of viscose rayon in the presence of inorganic additives. A kinetic study

Viscose rayon, like many other cellulosic materials, has a thermal decomposition reaction. The rate of change of weight loss of this material is very high at a narrow range of temperatures. When viscose rayon is impregnated with inorganic additives, there is a shift in the temperature of maximum rate of weight loss (Tmax) towards the lower side of the temperature. This effect, due to the addition of ammonium chloride, calcium chloride, and a mixture of calcium chloride and ammonium chloride, was studied in the temperature range 200–400°C through thermogravimetry and the changes observed in the values of activation energy, order of reaction, and char yield are presented in this paper.