ANALYTICAL PYROLYSIS CHARACTERISTICS OF

The pyrolysis characteristics of enzymatic/mild acidolysis lignin (EMAL) isolated from sugarcane bagasse were investigated by thermogravimetry Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). During thermal analysis, the decomposition of EMAL was found to occur over a wide temperature range, from approximately 150 to 800 °C, while the generated solid residue was of 29 % at 900 °C. Two weight loss peaks were recorded at 294 and 385 °C, respectively. The release of gaseous products and of some organic compounds from EMAL pyrolysis, detected on-line using FTIR, occurred mainly between 200 and 500 °C, corresponding quite well with the degradation curves measured by TG. The evolution of CO2 and organic compounds containing functional groups of C=O and C–O–C marked release peaks mainly at about 300 °C, while the formation of methane, methanol and phenols usually reached the maximum peak at about 400 °C. The phenols can be further divided into G, S and H type derivatives with various substituents, as based on Py-GC/MS results. The basic understanding and insights into lignin pyrolysis and product characteristics will help design the production processes of biofuels