Kinetic study of recycled newspaper liquefaction in polyol solvent

Abstract

The kinetics of liquefaction of recycled newspaper was investigated. Liquefaction was carried out in the presence of polyhydric alcohols and ethylene carbonate under acidic conditions. The liquefaction yield was found to be a function of the solvent type, sulfuric acid concentration, temperature, and the ratio of solvent to newspaper. The total liquefaction rate and degradation rates of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, which are the major components of newspaper, were measured. From the results, it was found that the total liquefaction rate did not follow first order reaction kinetics, because of the difference in the degradation rate of each component and the condensation of lignin. The degradation rates of lignin and hemicellulose were approximately 13 and 7 times greater than that of cellulose, respectively.