Measurement of the hydrothermal reaction rate of cellulose using novel liquid-phase thermogravimetry

This paper deals with the use of Liquid-phase thermogravimetry to investiga te the reaction kinetics of cellulose in hot compressed liquid water. The l iquid-phase thermogravimetric measuring system employed in this study is eq uipped with a magnetic suspension balance that can measure the weighing for ce without contact. Thus, a high pressure and temperature reactor is used, with the main body of the balance located outside the reactor. Using this s ystem, the cellulose weight decay was observed under isothermal and nonisot hermal conditions over a temperature range up to 300 degrees C at 10 MPa. T he weight decay rate obtained obeyed first-order kinetics, with its activat ion energy around 220 kJ/mol. The kinetic constants obtained in this study were found to be reasonable when compared to previously reported parameters . (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.