Low density polyethylene and grafted lignin polyblends using epoxy‐functionalized compatibilizer: mechanical and thermal properties

Lignin was graft copolymerized with methyl methacrylate using manganic pyrophosphate as initiator. This modified lignin was then blended (up to 50 wt%) with low density polyethylene (LDPE) using a small quantity of poly[ethylene‐co‐(glycidyl methacrylate)] (PEGMA) compatibilizer. The mechanical properties of the blend were substantially improved by using modified lignin in contrast to untreated lignin. Differential scanning calorimetry studies showed loss of crystallinity of the LDPE phase owing to the interaction between the blend components. Thermogravimetric analysis showed higher thermal stability of modified lignin in the domain of blend processing. This suggested that there is scope for useful utilization of lignin, which could also lead to the development of eco‐friendly products. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Peracetic acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for enzymatic hydrolysis: a continued work

Previous work has shown that the enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse could be greatly enhanced by peracetic acid (PAA) pretreatment. There are several factors affecting the enzymatic digestibility of the biomass, including lignin and hemicelluloses content, cellulose crystallinity, acetyl group content, accessible surface area and so on. The objective of this work is to analyze the mechanism of the enhancement of enzymatic digestibility caused by PAA pretreatment. Delignification resulted in an increase of the surface area and reduction of the irreversible absorption of cellulase, which helped to increase the enzymatic digestibility. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed that the absorption peaks of aromatic skeletal vibrations were weakened or disappeared after PAA pretreatment. However, the infrared crystallization index (N.O'KI) was increased. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the crystallinity of PAA‐treated samples was increased owing to the partial removal of amorphous lignin and hemicelluloses and probable physical change of cellulose. The effect of acetyl group content on enzymatic digestibility is negligible compared with the degree of delignification and crystallinity. The results indicate that enhancement of enzymatic digestibility of sugarcane bagasse by PAA pretreatment is achieved mainly by delignification and an increase in the surface area and exposure of cellulose fibers. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Anaerobic digestion of alkaline black liquor using an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor

The anaerobic digestion of alkaline black liquor from a cereal straw pulping mill was studied in batch (serum bottles) and continuous systems (up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor—UASB). The batch digestion studies confirmed that lignin and related compounds (LRC) in the alkaline black liquor were the main inhibitory substances and could not be decomposed by anaerobic bacteria. At organic loading rates of 5–10 kg COD m^?3 day^?1, the UASB reactor achieved 50–60% COD removal efficiencies. Gas production was 2–3 dm³ per dm³ of alkaline black liquor. Two different sludge types were examined in the reactor: granular and cluster-like sludges. Sludge in a cluster, which involved many small granules and flocs, tended to form larger aggregates and possessed good settling ability.     

黑液中的多糖对合成本素胺乳化剂的影响

直接以浓缩黑液为原料，通过环氧氯丙烷引入季铵基团制取阳离子型木素胺乳化剂。对产品和原料黑液做了剖析，证明黑液中的非本素有机物发生了胺化反应．应用试验证明这部分胺化产物具有助乳化和稳定乳液的作用。     

Structure and properties of regenerated cellulose films coated with polyurethane–nitrolignin graft‐IPNs coating

A regenerated cellulose film (RC) was coated with a graft‐IPNs coating, which was composed of castor oil‐based polyurethane and 2.8 wt % nitrolignin (NL), to obtain water‐resistant films. The effects of NCO/OH molar ratio and different polyols, such as 1,4‐butanediol (BDO) and trimethanol propane (TMP), on the structure and properties of the coated RC films were investigated. With an increase of the NCO/OH molar ratio, the tensile strength of the coated films increased, but the water resistivity and size contraction hardly changed. The coated films with TMP exhibited the higher breaking elongation at 1.5 of the NCO/OH molar ratio, while those with BDO have more excellent tensile strength, water resistivity, and dimensional stability. The coated films with the graft‐IPNs coating exhibited superior water resistivity and dimensional stability. The light transmittance of the coated films was more excellent than that of the RC film. Moreover, the results from the IR and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) showed that the chemical bonding occurred between cellulose and coating, and the introduction of NL plays an important role in the enhancement of the interface adhesion of the coated films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) depicted the flat and dense surface of the coated films, which restricted the water vapor penetration and the size contraction, resulting in the enhancement of water resistivity. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1799–1806, 2002     

龙须草碱木素特性的研究

用化学方法和波谱方法研究了龙须草减木素（ESL）的结构特性，并与杨木和麦草碱水素作了比较。ESL是一种绩合程度较高的木素，甲氧基含量较低，而酚羟基和羧基含量较高，结合相对分子质量测定结果可知，在蒸煮时生成较多的小分子产物，使相对分子质量分布较宽。C_9单元式表明ESL中的不饱和度较低，波谱分析表明，ESL中的共轭酯键已大部分断裂。与ESL相连的碳水化合物主要是聚阿拉伯糖降解生成的碎片。     

Contributions to characterization of poly(vinyl chloride)–lignin blends

The present study evaluates the impact of blending organosolv and kraft lignins, which are natural polymer by‐products in the pulp and paper industry, with plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in flooring formulations. Also examined is the impact of replacing dioctyl phthalate, a PVC industry general‐purpose plasticizer, with diethylene glycol dibenzoate (Benzoflex 2‐45), tricresyl phosphate (Lindol), or alkyl sulfonic phenyl ester (Mesamoll) in these formulations. The influence of the different types of lignins and plasticizers on the processibility, thermal, and mechanical properties of the blends is discussed. These properties demonstrate that partial replacement of PVC (20 parts) with different lignins is feasible for some formulations that can be successfully used as matrices for a high level of calcium carbonate filler in flooring products. In addition, the data demonstrate that the presence of certain plasticizers, which interfere with the intramolecular interactions existing in lignins, may allow the lignin molecules to have more molecular mobility. The morphology and the properties of PVC plasticized lignin blends are strongly influenced by the degree and mode of the lignin plasticization and its dispersion within the PVC matrix. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2732–2748, 2006     

甲基丙烯酸锌在NBR／木质素中的应用

研究了α－甲基丙烯酸锌（ＭＡＡ－Ｚｎ）对ＮＢＲ／木质素（１００／１００，质量比）硫化胶性能的影响。结果表明，加入１．５～５．０份ＭＡＡ－Ｚｎ，可提高硫化胺的１００％的定伸应力，硬度和抗压缩永久变形能力，但对其他力学性能影响甚微，经分析可知，ＭＡＡ－Ｚｎ还可以降低硫化反应活化能，提高硫化胶的交联密度和耐热老化性能。     

Lignin‐based polycondensation resins for wood adhesives

Lignin‐based wood adhesives are obtained that satisfy the requirements of relevant international standards for the manufacture of exterior‐grade wood particleboard. Formulations based on low molecular mass lignin and presenting an increase in the relative proportion of reactive points yield better results than the higher molecular mass lignin used in the past. These lignins allow a higher proportion of hydroxymethylation during preparation of methylolated lignins. These lignin‐based adhesives also yield acceptable results at particleboard pressing times that are sufficiently low to be of industrial significance. Lignin‐based wood adhesives, in which a nonvolatile nontoxic aldehyde (glyoxal) is substituted for formaldehyde in their preparation, are prepared and tested for application to wood panels such as particleboard. The adhesives yield good internal bond strength results for the panels, which are good enough to comfortably pass relevant international standard specifications for exterior‐grade panels. The adhesives also show sufficient reactivity to yield panels in press times comparable to that of formaldehyde‐based commercial adhesives. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1690–1699, 2007     

EVA／木质素薄膜的制备与性能研究

研究了经造粒、吹塑成膜的乙烯醋酸乙烯酯共聚物（EVA）／木质素共混物的结构、热性能以及力学性能。热重分析表明木质素与EVA共混物的热稳定性比单一组分的高；差示扫描量热分析表明木质素与EVA的相容性好；傅里叶红外光谱分析表明木质素与EVA之间存在分子间氢键相互作用；扫描电子显微分析表明木质素含量对共混物形貌有明显的影响；力学性能测试表明木质素含量在30％（质量分数，下同）以内，共混物薄膜仍具有较好的力学性能，随着木质素含量的增加，共混物力学性能降低。