Characterization of Lignin Structure in Chemithermomechanical Pulp Predicting Photo-Yellowing Level by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography with Tetrabuthylammonium Hydroxide

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) in the presence of organic alkali of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) was applied to characterize the polyphenol fragments with a carbonyl group causing different magnitude of photo-yellowing in chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP) papers. Two different origin of CTMP papers prepared from different individuals of Eucalyptus globulus trees showing high and low yellowing after photo-irradiation was compared before photo-irradiation. As a result, 7 peaks assigned to a series of phenol compounds with a carbonyl group, derived mainly from lignin, gave significant amount of phenol compounds with a carbonyl group for the paper sample of latent high yellowing, i.e., butoxy-and syringaldehyde, butoxy-and syringylacetone, butoxy-acetoguaiacone, butoxy-acetosyringone, butoxy-acetoethylsyringone, 3-methoxy-4-butoxy butyl ester, and 3,5-dimethoxy-4-butoxy butyl ester, using Py-GC/mass spectrometry (MS). The Py-GC method combined with TBAH successfully characterized polyphenol fragments with a carbonyl group causing differ high photo-yellowing in CTMP papers using a microgram order of samples.