Thermal Effects in Cellulose Pyrolysis:  Relationship to Char Formation Processes

The thermochemistry of cellulose pyrolysis has been studied by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Additionally, the vapor pressure and heat of vaporization of levoglucosan have been determined by an effusion method. The cellulose pyrolysis has been carried out under inert gas at heating rates from 0.1 to 60 K/min. The main cellulose thermal degradation pathway is endothermic, in the absence of mass transfer limitations that promote char formation. The endothermicity is estimated to be about 538 J/g of volatiles evolved. It is concluded that this endothermicity mainly reflects a latent heat requirement for vaporizing the primary tar decomposition products. Pyrolysis can be driven in the exothermic direction by char-forming processes that compete with tar-forming processes. The formation of char is estimated to be exothermic to the extent of about 2 kJ/g of char formed. Low heating rates, in concert with mass transfer limitations, serve to drive the pyrolysis in this direction. The enthalpy of cellulose pyrolysis is thus seen to be a sensitive function of the pyrolysis conditions. Pyrolysis appears to initially follow a common thermal pathway (in terms of enthalpy required per mass of volatile loss), irrespective of heating rate. Only at some finite level of conversion does the “thermal trajectory” of the process follow a heating rate dependent path, as significant char formation begins to occur.