Thermal Analysis of Lignocellulosic Materials

Abstract Thermal analysis has recently become prominent, particularly in applications to fibers, plastics, and other synthetic polymeric materials. Thermal analysis may be defined as a set of techniques used to describe the physical or chemical changes associated with substances as a function of temperature [1]. Thermograms have been used to determine thermodynamic and kinetic parameters associated with the chemical changes which occur upon heating, the heat capacity of a substance, first- and second-order transition temperatures, latent heats of transformation, and effects of radiation or additives on natural and synthetic polymers. Particularly successful appears to be the simultaneous use of two or more thermal analytical techniques or the combination of thermal analytical and spectroscopic techniques (for example, infrared, electronic, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis). The increasing commercial importance of polymers and the commercial manufacture of thermal analytical instruments have resulted in rising interest and intensified research in this field, with the number of articles published yearly on thermal analysis rapidly increasing. The journals Thermochimica Acta (published by Elsevier), the Journal of Thermal Analysis (published by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), and the Japanese Journal of Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis are today the major sources of information on thermal analysis. The first two deal solely with reports of thermal analytical research.