Cellulose structural changes during mild torrefaction of Eucalyptus wood

Abstract

The changes in the cellulose structure of eight Eucalyptus species (E. botryoides, E. globulus, E. grandis, E. maculata, E. propinqua, E. rudis, E. saligna and E. viminalis) in a mild torrefaction (from 160◦C to 230◦C, 3 h) were studied in situ and after cellulose isolation from the wood by solid-state carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and by analytic pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Changes in molecular weight were assessed by viscosimetry. A small decrease in cellulose crystallinity (ca. 2%–3%) was attributed to its amorphization on crystallite surfaces as a result of acid hydrolysis and free radical reactions resulting in the homolytic splitting of glycosidic bonds. The degree of the cellulose polymerization (DPv) decreased more than twice during the heat treatment of wood. It has been proposed that changes in the supramolecular structure of cellulose and in molecular weight during a heat treatment can be affected by the amount of lignin present in the wood. The limitations of FTIR and Py-GC/MS techniques to distinguish the minor changes in cellulose crystallinity were discussed.