Lignocellulosic
biomass, in particular wood, is a complex mixture
containing cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and other trace compounds.
Chemical analysis of these biomasses, especially lignin components,
is a challenge. Lignin is a highly reticulated polymer that is poorly
soluble and usually requires chemical, enzymatic, or thermal degradation
for its analysis. Here, we studied the thermal degradation of lignocellulosic
biomass using a direct insertion probe (DIP). The DIP was used with
two ionization sources: atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)
and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) coupled to ultrahigh-resolution
mass spectrometry. Beech lignocellulosic biomass samples were used
to develop the DIP-APCI/APPI methodology. Two other wood species (maple
and oak) were analyzed after optimization of DIP parameters. The two
ionization sources were compared at first and showed different responses
toward beech samples, according to the source specificity. APPI was
more specific to lignin degradation compounds, whereas APCI covered
a larger variety of oxygenated compounds, e.g., fatty acids and polyphenolics
compounds, in addition to lignin degradation products. The study of
the thermodesorption profile gave information on the different steps
of lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis. The comparison of the three
feed sample types (oak, maple, and beech), using principal component
analysis (PCA) with DIP-APCI experiments, showed molecular level differences
between beech wood pellets and the two other wood species (maple and
oak).
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