Sorption and desorption kinetics of the cellulose and water system. Part 3.—The rates of sorption on the lowest sorption limb of a hysteresis loop

Abstract

The rates of absorption of water in a regenerated cellulose, both untreated and treated with a cross-linking reagent, on the lowest sorption limb of a hysteresis loop, at 15°C, are examined and interpreted in terms of the equilibrium isotherm and the water-cellulose interaction. Both the initial and second stage rates for the original cellulose vary in a complex manner with increasing water activity, and the cross-linking treatment affects the variations in each case.