Determination of kinetic parameters for pyrolysis of cellulose and cellulose treated with ammonium phosphate by differential thermal analysis and thermal gravimetric analysis

Activation energy E, pre-exponential factor k₀, and reaction order n for the pyrolysis of α-cellulose and cellulose modified with dihydrogen ammonium phosphate were determined by means of TGA and DTA. The results obtained are E = 53.5 kcal./mole, k₀ = 10^18.8 min.^?1, n = 1 for α-cellulose and E = 32 kcal./mole, k₀ = 10¹² min.^?1, n = 1 for modified cellulose. A new theory of DTA was also developed. This theory, in which it is concluded that the peak value of DTA curve coincides with the maximum rate of reaction, may be used not only for the present work but is generally applicable to DTA studies. Detailed procedures of experiment and theory are described.