Abstract: Using sulfuric acid as catalyst,the liquefaction of banana pseudo-stem in phenol was investigated and the influences of liquefaction conditions on liquefaction ratio were discussed.Moreover,the liquefaction progress based on reaction time was investigated under the optimal conditions.For different reaction times, the liquefaction characteristics were studied with the analysis of residue compositions,FT-IR and TGA.The epoxy resin was prepared to test mechanical properties.The results showed that the optimal conditions were mass ratio of phenol to raw material 4:1,catalyst dosage 30% (mass ratio relative to the raw material),reaction temperature 150℃ and time 90min.FT-IR analysis showed the groups were similar and contained large aromatic derivations and phenolic hydroxyls for 40 and 90 min product.For 40 min residue, the fiber retention was higher than that of 90 min by composition analysis and TGA.The mechanical test of epoxy resin indicated that the shear adhesive strength of resin based on 90 min-product could get 7.26 MPa and the glass trainsition temperature could get 78℃.Under the optimal conditions,reaction time had less effect on the functional group in product and residue rate,but it affected fiber content in residue.And the product was suitable for preparation of epoxy resin.

Key words: banana pseudo-stem, liquefaction in phenol, reaction time, product analysis