Polymer heatproofing mechanism of lignin extracted by simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and comminution

In this paper, we reveal a synthetic polymer heatproofing mechanism of a lignin derivative extracted by simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and comminution (hereafter referred to as “SESC lignin”). First, the prevention of back-biting on the thermal degradation of poly(ethylene carbonate) by SESC lignin is experimentally verified via chromatograph/spectroscopic approaches. Second, we explore the applicable scope (e.g., the limiting temperature) of SESC lignin as a heatproof filler by comparing the heatproof properties of a conventional heat stabilizer and SESC lignin. Finally, we confirm that the combination of “preferential pyrolysis” and “radical scavenging” of SESC lignin induces its synthetic polymer heatproof properties, which can be determined using thermochemical/kinetical approaches.