ANALYSIS OF WOOD CELLULOSE MECHANICAL DEGRADATION DURING BEATING PROCESS

Dependence of wood cellulose degradation rate on the size reduction method (PFI mill, Valley beater) is monitored. Size Exclusion Chromatography and viscometry method were applied to measure the cellulose polymerisation degree. The highest cellulose degradation degree (mean molecular mass ca. 200 KDa) and the highest value of reaction rate constant (69*10-8s-1) were reached after using PFI mill. It was revealed that polymerisation degree of cellulose subjected to a beating process depends on the content of primary and secondary minute fraction (so called krill). Size Exclusion Chromatography and viscometric method were used to determine the polymerisation degree of cellulose.