Cellulose decomposition behavior in hot-compressed aprotic solvents

• 来源期刊: 中国科学B辑（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2008,（5）
• 页码范围: 479-486
• 页数: 8页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1007/s11426-008-0052-1

摘要

Microcrystalline cellulose (avicel) is treated in hot-compressed aprotic solvents, sulfolane and 1,4-dioxane, using a batch-type reaction system with a molten tin bath in a range from 290 to 390℃. The corresponding densities of the solvent are 0.25-1.26 g/cm3 and 0.21-1.03 g/cm3 for sulfolane and 1,4-dioxane, respectively. As a result, in both solvents, more than 90% of cellulose is found to be de-composed to the solvent-soluble portion in which levoglucosan is the main component with the high-est yield of about 35% on original cellulose basis. The decomposition rate to levoglucosan is, however, faster in sulfolane than in 1,4-dioxane, while levoglucosan is more stable in 1,4-dioxane. In addition, its yield is found to be solvent-density dependent to be highest around 0.4-0.5 g/cm3 for both solvents. To elucidate these decomposition behaviors, the results obtained in this study with aprotic solvents are compared with protic solvents such as water and methanol in previous works.