A kinetic and surface study of the thermal decomposition of cellulose powder in inert and oxidizing atmospheres

Abstract

Abstract The thermal decomposition of fibrous cellulose powder from 275° to 340°C has been studied by thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy, krypton adsorption, and gas‐chromatographic analysis of the gaseous products arising from pyrolysis in various oxidizing and inert atmospheres. The reaction kinetics fit a phase boundary model where the rate is controlled by the movement of an interface through a cylindrical particle and the principal kinetic parameters fit a compensation curve described previously for the decomposition of wood products. An explanation of the physical mechanism of pyrolysis is proposed which is consistent with the observed rate data and the structural changes observed by scanning electron microscopy.