Enhanced Thermal Stability of Esterified Lignin in Different Solvent Mediums

In this study, soda alkali lignin from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB-AL) and kenaf core (KC-AL) are esterified with maleic anhydride under two different conditions, namely i) pyridine at temperature of 120°C for 3h and ii) aqueous alkaline solution at room temperature for 4h. As a result, the weight percentage gain (WPG) of the esterified EFB-AL (EFB-EL) and esterified KC-AL (KC-EL) in pyridine demonstrated a higher compared to aqueous alkaline solution. The FT-IR results of EFB-EL and KC-EL in both solvents exhibited some changes at the carbonyl and hydroxyl groups. Furthermore, the esterification process induced the carboxylic peak to appear in both alkali lignin samples. The outcome is confirmed by conducting H-NMR analysis, which demonstrated ester and carboxylic acid peaks within the spectral analysis. Finally, the TGA results showed both EFB-EL and KC-EL that are exposed to aqueous alkaline actually possessed better thermal stability and higher activation energy (Ea) compared to the esterified samples in pyridine.