Thermogravimetric analysis of pulps

Summary A differential and an integral method of kinetic analysis of the data from isothermal pyrolysis of two pulps have shown that a cotton linters pulp has a lower activation energy throughout the entire reaction than has a bleached pine kraft pulp. In all cases, the activation energy decreases with increasing conversion. The mean values obtained were 30 and 36 kcal/mole by the differential and integral methods, respectively, for pyrolysis of the cotton linters pulp and 42 and 45 kcal/mole, respectively, for pyrolysis of the bleached pine kraft pulp. Neither method of analysis used in this work requires prior determination or empirical statement of the reaction order n. This is essential to a proper analysis since it has been shown that the reaction order cannot be regarded as a constant if the complete pyrolysis reaction is studied.Contribution No. 100 from the Empire State Paper Research Institute, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York 13210.