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High resistance to thermal decomposition in brown cotton is linked to tannins and sodium content

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Abstract

Brown cotton fibers (SA-1 and MC-BL) studied were inferior to a white cotton fiber (Sure-Grow 747) in fiber quality, i.e., a shorter length, fewer twists, and lower crystallinity, but showed superior thermal resistance in thermogravimetric, differential thermogravimetric, and microscale combustion calorimetric (MCC) analyses. Brown cotton fibers yielded 11–23 % smaller total heat release and 20–40 % greater char. Washing fibers in water and a 1 % NaOH solution showed that rich natural inorganic components and the condensed tannins present in brown cotton are responsible for the unusual thermal property. The loss of inorganics from white cotton during a water wash increased the thermal decomposition temperature of cellulose, resulting in no char yield. However, the stronger binding of metal ions for brown cotton as well as its dominant adsorption of sodium ions after a 1 % NaOH wash facilitated the low-temperature thermal-reaction route; the sodium content showed a significant negative correlation with the heat release capacity of the fiber. Condensed tannins greatly enhanced the adsorption of sodium ions to the fiber and exhibited inherent thermal stability. The limiting oxygen indices (LOI) calculated from the MCC parameters indicated the slower burning characteristic of brown cotton, and its LOI was further increased upon adsorption of sodium ions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Pierre Burnside at Tulane University for XRD measurements and thank Dr. Alfred D. French for his comments on the XRD result. We also thank Tracy Condon for her assistance with sample preparation. This research received no specific Grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the US. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd., New Orleans, LA, 70124, USA

    Sunghyun Nam, Brian D. Condon, Doug J. Hinchliffe, SeChin Chang & Crista A. Madison

  2. Cotton Fiber Bioscience Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd., New Orleans, LA, 70124, USA

    Hee Jin Kim

  3. Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, New Orleans, MS, 39762, USA

    Jack C. McCarty

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  1. Sunghyun Nam
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  2. Hee Jin Kim
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  3. Brian D. Condon
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  4. Doug J. Hinchliffe
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  7. Crista A. Madison
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Correspondence to Brian D. Condon.

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Nam, S., Kim, H.J., Condon, B.D. et al. High resistance to thermal decomposition in brown cotton is linked to tannins and sodium content. Cellulose 23, 1137–1152 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-0871-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-0871-8

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