Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

On-line product analysis of pine wood pyrolysis using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The pyrolysis process of pine wood, a promising biofuel feedstock, has been studied with tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. The mass spectra at different photon energies and temperatures as well as time-dependent profiles of several selected species during pine wood pyrolysis process were measured. Based on the relative contents of three lignin subunits, the data indicate that pine wood is typical of softwood. As pyrolysis temperature increased from 300 to 700 °C, some more details of pyrolysis chemistry were observed, including the decrease of oxygen content in high molecular weight species, the observation of high molecular weight products from cellulose chain and lignin polymer, and potential pyrolysis mechanisms for some key species. The formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was also observed, as well as three series of pyrolysis products derived from PAHs with mass difference of 14 amu. The time-dependent profiles show that the earliest products are formed from lignin, followed by hemicellulose products, and then species from cellulose.

The pyrolysis study of pine wood based on synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Balat M, Balat M, Kırtay E, Balat H (2009) Main routes for the thermo-conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. Part 2: gasification systems. Energ Convers Manage 50:3158–3168

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Demirbas A (2007) Progress and recent trends in biofuels. Prog Energ Combust 33:1–18

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Fendt A, Streibel T, Sklorz M, Richter D, Dahmen N, Zimmermann R (2012) On-line process analysis of biomass flash pyrolysis gases enabled by soft photoionization mass spectrometry. Energy Fuel 26:701–711

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wang Z, Wang F, Cao J, Wang J (2010) Pyrolysis of pine wood in a slowly heating fixed-bed reactor: potassium carbonate versus calcium hydroxide as a catalyst. Fuel Process Technol 91:942–950

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bahng MK, Mukarakate C, Robichaud DJ, Nimlos MR (2009) Current technologies for analysis of biomass thermochemical processing: a review. Anal Chim Acta 651:117–138

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bridgwater AV (1999) Principles and practice of biomass fast pyrolysis processes for liquids. J Anal Appl Pyrol 51:3–22

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Orfão JJM, Antunes FJA, Figueiredo JL (1999) Pyrolysis kinetics of lignocellulosic materials—three independent reactions model. Fuel 78:349–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wagenaar BM, Prins W, van Swaaij WPM (1993) Flash pyrolysis kinetics of pine wood. Fuel Process Technol 36:291–298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. DeSisto WJ, Hill N II, Beis SH, Mukkamala S, Joseph J, Baker C, Ong T-H, Stemmler EA, Wheeler MC, Frederick BG, van Heiningen A (2010) Fast pyrolysis of pine sawdust in a fluidized-bed reactor. Energy Fuel 24:2642–2651

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sensoz S, Can M (2002) Pyrolysis of pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) chips: 1. Effect of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate on the product yields. Energy Sources 24:347–355

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Sensoz S, Can M (2002) Pyrolysis of pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) chips: 2. Structural analysis of bio-oil. Energy Sources 24:357–364

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Evans RJ, Milne TA (1987) Molecular characterization of the pyrolysis of biomass.2. Applications. Energy Fuel 1:311–319

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Evans RJ, Milne TA (1987) Molecular characterization of the pyrolysis of biomass.1. Fundamentals. Energy Fuel 1:123–137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Zhou ZY, Guo HJ, Qi F (2011) Recent developments in synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization coupled to mass spectrometry. TrAC-Trend Anal Chem 30:1400–1409

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Li J, Cai JH, Yuan T, Guo HJ, Qi F (2009) A thermal decomposition study of polymers by tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 23:1269–1274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Qi F (2012) Combustion chemistry probed by synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometry. Proc Combust Inst 34 (published online, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2012.09.002)

  17. Wang J, Li YY, Tian ZY, Zhang TC, Qi F, Tao XP (2008) Low temperature plasma diagnostics with tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. Rev Sci Instrum 79:103504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Weng JJ, Jia LY, Wang Y, Sun SB, Tang XF, Zhou ZY, Kohse-Höinghaus K, Qi F (2012) Pyrolysis study of poplar biomass by tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. Proc Combust Inst 34 (published online, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2012.05.077)

  19. Jarvis MW, Haas TJ, Donohoe BS, Daily JW, Gaston KR, Frederick WJ, Nimlos MR (2011) Elucidation of biomass pyrolysis products using a laminar entrained flow reactor and char particle imaging. Energy Fuel 25:324–336

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Jones RW, Reinot T, McClelland JF (2010) Molecular analysis of primary vapor and char products during stepwise pyrolysis of poplar biomass. Energy Fuel 24:5199–5209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Adams J (2011) Analysis of printing and writing papers by using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry. Int J Mass Spectrom 301:109–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Dong CQ, Zhang ZF, Lu Q, Yang YP (2012) Characteristics and mechanism study of analytical fast pyrolysis of poplar wood. Energ Convers Manage 57:49–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Reale S, Di Tullio A, Spreti N, De Angelis F (2004) Mass spectrometry in the biosynthetic and structural investigation of lignins. Mass Spectrom Rev 23:87–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Sipilä K, Kuoppala E, Fagernäs L, Oasmaa A (1998) Characterization of biomass-based flash pyrolysis oils. Biomass Bioenerg 14:103–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Guo WY, Bi YC, Guo HJ, Pan Y, Qi F, Deng WA, Shan HH (2008) Infrared laser desorption/vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry of petroleum saturates: a new experimental approach for the analysis of heavy oils. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 22:4025–4028

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (50925623), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2013CB834602), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230029, China

    Junjie Weng, Liangyuan Jia, Shaobo Sun, Yu Wang, Xiaofeng Tang, Zhongyue Zhou & Fei Qi

Authors
  1. Junjie Weng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Liangyuan Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shaobo Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yu Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xiaofeng Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Zhongyue Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Fei Qi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fei Qi.

Additional information

Published in the topical collection Photo Ionisation in Mass Spectrometry with guest editor Ralf Zimmermann.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 75.9 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Weng, J., Jia, L., Sun, S. et al. On-line product analysis of pine wood pyrolysis using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 405, 7097–7105 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-012-6516-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-012-6516-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation