Kinetics of cellulose degradation in bamboo paper

Abstract

Abstract In this article, the chain scission kinetics of cellulose in acid bamboo paper aging were studied and further applied to evaluate the lifespan of acid bamboo paper. In combination with analytical theory and Monte-Carlo simulations, the ideal random scission mechanism of cellulose macromolecules with arbitrary molecular weight distribution (MWD) was studied first. The molecular weight distribution evolutions obtained by the two methods were in good agreement, indicating the feasibility of the Monte-Carlo algorithm. Furthermore, the relationship between the ideal random scission mechanism and real paper aging was studied in an accelerated aging experiment at 105 °C. The Monte-Carlo algorithm could basically reproduce the MWD of accelerated aging at various degradation degrees, indicating that the ideal random scission mechanism is predominant in bamboo paper aging. Therefore, the relevant kinetic model can be applied to lifespan evaluation. In three other aging experiments, the activation energy of paper aging was determined by the Arrhenius equation, which facilitated the calculation of the rate constant of paper aging at room temperature. It is expected that bamboo paper can be preserved for more than a thousand years.