Abstract
Mechanisms of pyrolysis of cellulose which have been presented are reviewed in terms of pathways of the reaction, production of levoglucosan, carbonization and pyrolysis of levoglucosan, and kinetics. In addition measurements with machines are discussed in relation to the pyrolysis. In the section of reaction pathways five models given in diagrams are introduced and indicated lack of clear chemical definition of them, and in the levoglucosan formation six principal models are briefly described, and a proposal of an ion mechanism against a radical mechanism, and different interpretations of effects of fine structures on the reaction and the chain length are pointed out to make important controversial points. In the third section changes in residue structure through carbonization are discussed, and courses of levoglucosan pyrolysis full of variety are shown and significance of researches on the pyrolysis in air is emphasized from viewpoint of fire science. In the fifth section an enormous number of kinetic data presented with different orders of reaction are shown and a kinetics is systematically developed to explain the different reaction orders. In the sixth section, the dependency of data on individual instruments are revealed in the measurement with instruments problems involved in analytical pyrolysis. Understanding of the implication and reasonable choice of the data is shown to be important.
