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Chemical conversion of wood to thermoplastic material
Author(s) -
Morita Mitsuhiro,
Sakata Isao
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1986.070310307
Subject(s) - chlorine , plasticizer , sodium chlorite , lignin , materials science , sodium periodate , periodate , melt flow index , nuclear chemistry , composite material , chemistry , polymer chemistry , polymer , pulp and paper industry , organic chemistry , chlorine dioxide , copolymer , engineering
A chemically modified wood meal (CE‐wood) was prepared by cyanoethylation in the presence of alkaline salts. The temperature T f at which the wood could flow was measured by a simple mechanical flow tester. The CE‐wood demonstrated thermal flow at around 250°C. The T f value decreased with increasing cyanoethyl content of the wood. Treatment of the wood meal before cyanoethylation with sodium periodate or sodium chlorite lowered T f . The flow temperature was also decreased by blending the CE‐wood with appropriate synthetic polymers or plasticizers. Treatment of CE‐wood with chlorine solution was found to be the most effective method of lowering T f . The T f value of the slightly chlorinated CE‐wood (Cl content=2%) was about 100°C lower than that of the original CE‐wood. The lowering of T f for CE‐wood by treatment with chlorine may be interpreted in terms of the plasticizing effect of chlorination on the lignin moiety in the wood.