Effect of the amount of lignin on tensile properties of single wood fibers

Chemical components are the main factors affecting the mechanical properties of wood fibers. Lignin is one of the main components of wood cell walls and has a critical effect on the mechanical properties of paper pulp and wood fiber based composites. In this study, we carried out tensile tests on single mature latewood tracheids of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanciolata (Lamb.) Hook.), using three different delignified treatment methods to obtain different amounts of lignin. We applied single fiber tests to study the effect of the amount of lignin on mechanical tensile properties of single wood fibers at the cellular level. The results show that in their dry state, the modulus of elasticity of single fibers decreased with the reduction in the amount of lignin; even their absolute values were not high. The amount of lignin affects the tensile strength and elongation of single fibers considerably. Tensile strength and elongation of single fibers increase with a reduction in the amount of lignin.