The thermal behaviour of lignins from wasted black pulping liquors

The thermal degradation of lignins separated from black liquor waste from pulping of bagasse and cotton stalks has been investigated. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), between 20 and 1000°C, have been used. Activation energies of treated lignins were calculated. Lignins separated from liquors obtained at low pulping temperature have higher activation energies than high-temperature lignins. The use of anthraquinone (AQ) as an additive for accelerating the pulping process raises the activation energy of the lignin in the black liquors waste.