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Soda lignin does not have thermal flowing characteristics and it is impossible for it to be further thermally molded. To achieve the fusibility of soda lignin for fiber preparation by melt-spinning, an effective method for soda lignin modification was conducted by cooking it with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 at various ratios. The higher the ratio of PEG that was used, the more PEG molecular chains were grafted at the alpha carbon of the soda lignin through ether bonds, resulting in lower thermal transition temperatures and more excellent fusibility. The modified soda lignin with a weight ratio of lignin to PEG of 1:4 exhibited a relative thermal stability of molten viscosity at selected temperatures. Thereafter, the resultant fusible soda lignin was successfully melt-spun into filaments with an average diameter of 33 ± 5 µm, which is smaller than that of some industrial lignins. Accordingly, it is possible to utilize soda lignin to produce fibrous carbonaceous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly microporous bio-based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were prepared through a simple reactivation method. Sawdust, as the starting material, was liquefied and melt-spun to produce the precursor fibers. Then, the precursor fibers were activated by KOH and reactivated by steam. By varying the conditions of the two activation processes, the formation mechanism of the pore structure was studied, and the result showed that steam reactivation has a positive effect on the development of microporosity. The sample with the optimal condition exhibited the highest specific surface area of 2578 m². g-1 as well as the largest pore volume of 1.425 cm³. g-1, where micropores contributed 70.3%. Due to its excellent texture properties, the ACF exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 1934 mg/g for iodine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]