Determination of cellulose degree of polymerization in historical papers with high lignin content

Malešič, Jasna (author), Kraševec, Ida (author), Kralj Cigić, Irena (author)

Determination of cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) is one of the most commonly used methods in paper degradation studies, performed either by a standardized method using viscometry (as average degree of polymerization (DP$_v$)) or size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) (as weight average molecular mass (M$_w$)). Due to the insolubility of papers with high lignin content in cupriethylenediamine (CED), such as groundwood papers, viscometric determination is not possible; therefore, pretreatment is required to allow subsequent dissolution of the papers. In this study, the pretreatment of historical papers containing groundwood with sodium chlorite in acetic acid was investigated, which enables dissolution of the paper samples in CED and determination of the cellulose average degree of polymerization by viscometry (DP$_v$). Kappa number was determined to estimate the lignin content in the papers. The suitability of SEC UV-VIS analysis for determination of M$_w$ in papers with high lignin content had been verified before it was used as a comparative method for viscometry. Using SEC, changes in the weight average molecular mass (M$_w$) of cellulose tricarbanilate (CTC) derivative during delignification were evaluated. The results indicate that no significant depolymerization occurred in the selected samples under the studied delignification conditions, which was additionally confirmed with determination of monosaccharides by ion chromatography. The results of the M$_w$ determinations by SEC and DP$_v$ by viscometry are in good correlation, justifying the use of viscometry after chlorite/acetic acid pretreatment to determine the cellulose average degree of polymerization in historical papers with high lignin content.

• Language: English
• Keywords: weight average molecular mass, average degree of polymerization, cellulose, size-exclusion chromatography, lignin, viscometry, historical papers, chlorite/acetic acid
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 12, art. 1990
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135631
• UDC: 676.014.82
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym13121990
• COBISS.SI-ID: 67777283
• Publication date in RUL: 22.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 17.06.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: masno povprečje molekulske mase, povprečna stopnja polimerizacije, celuloza, velikostna izključitvena kromatografija, lignin, viskozimetrija, klorit/ocetna kislina, historični papirji

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0153
• Name: Raziskave in razvoj analiznih metod in postopkov