American Chemical Society, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 13(52), p. 4695-4703, 2013
DOI: 10.1021/ie302810c
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We have studied the structural modifications of lignins from sisal and flax during their soda-anthraquinone (AQ) pulping and subsequent totally chlorine-free (TCF) and elementary chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching. For this purpose, residual lignins were isolated from pulps, analyzed by Py-GC/MS, 2D-NMR, and GPC, and their characteristics were compared to the "milled-wood" lignin of the raw materials. Soda-AQ pulping caused a preferential removal of S-lignin and cleavage of β−O−4′ linkages, but the structure of the residual lignin remained relatively similar to native lignin. TCF bleaching barely affected the lignin structure, and noticeable amounts of β−O−4′ linkages still occur in these pulps. In contrast, ECF bleaching caused strong modifications in the lignin structure with the complete removal of lignin markers in ECF-bleached sisal pulp. However, residual lignin was still present in ECF-bleached flax pulp, with a predominance of G-and H-lignin units and the presence of β−O−4′ linkages.