Effect ofPinus radiataBark Polyphenols on Phenol Liquefaction of Cellulose in the Presence ofp-Toluene Sulfonic Acid Catalyst

Abstract

Abstract The influence of Pinus radiata bark polyphenol components in the phenol liquefaction of P. radiata bark was investigated using p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) and sulfuric acid (SA) as acid catalysts. A series of the phenol liquefaction reactions were carried out using mixtures of pure cellulose with increasing amounts of hot-water extract (HWE) of P. radiata bark—the polyphenol-rich component of bark. The yields of liquefied product reactions and combined phenol amounts in them were determined, and the liquefaction residues were also analyzed for determination of acid-soluble and insoluble polyphenols and residual cellulose fractions. The yield of cellulose liquefaction decreased linearly with increasing amounts of HWE with the effect being more pronounced for SA than for PTSA. The combined phenol amount increased with liquefaction yield increases for both SA and PTSA catalysts, but at liquefaction yield levels above 83 percent, more phenol was combined for SA catalyst than for PTSA catalyst. The...