The thermochemical behavior of birch (Betula pendula) sawdust both untreated and after various chemical treatments (hot-water extraction, delignification, and hot-water extraction followed by delignification) was investigated by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). In each case, major GC-amenable condensable products were classified into several compound groups, and the formation of these monomer-related fragments from feedstock samples with varying mass portions of the structural constituents (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin) were determined at 500 o C and 700 o C at hold times of 5 s and 20 s. The formation of pyrolysis products was shown to be characteristically dependent on feedstock composition as well as on pyrolysis conditions. This kind of approach was of practical importance with respect to efforts not only to develop rapid characterization tools for lignocellulosics, but also to new biorefinery possibilities to produce bio-oils, for example, enriched either with aliphatic or aromatic constituents.

The thermochemical behavior of Norway spruce (Picea abies) sawdust as such and after various chemical treatments (hot-water extraction, delignification, and hotwater extraction followed by delignification) was investigated by analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In each case, the yields of major GC-amenable condensable products were semi-quantitatively measured, and the individual compounds were classified into several compound groups. The formation of these groups from feedstock samples with varying mass portions of their structural constituents (carbohydrates and lignin) was determined at 500 °C and 700 °C with a residence time of 5 s and 20 s. The formation of pyrolysis products was shown to be characteristically dependent on feedstock composition as well as on pyrolysis conditions. This kind of approach was of practical importance with respect to efforts not only to develop rapid characterization tools for lignocellulosics, but also to uncover new biorefinery possibilities to produce bio-oils, for example, enriched either with aliphatic or aromatic constituents.

The thermochemical behavior of cellulose, glucomannan, and xylan was investigated by pyrolysis-gas chromatographymass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). In each case, major GC-amenable condensable products were classified into several compound groups, and the formation of these monomer-related fragments from the model substance samples was determined at 500, 600, and 700°C with a residence time of 5 s and 20 s. The results revealed that despite some general formation trends, no compound group was selectively formed at certain temperatures. Of the 11 product groups, the primary ones, including lactone, furan, and cyclopentenone derivatives, accounted for 72-85% (from cellulose), 86-90% (from glucomannan), and 76-81% (from xylan) of the total amount of pyrolysis products determined. At 500°C, about half of the major product groups accounted for lactones, such as 3-hydroxy-2-penteno-1,5-lactone and 5H-furan-2-one. It was also confirmed by thermogravimetric analyses that within the temperature range studied, cellulose was thermally more stable than the heterogeneous hemicelluloses. These kinds of data are of importance, for example, with respect to efforts to develop new biorefinery possibilities for renewable resources. Keywords Cellulose Á Glucomannan Á Xylan Á Pyrolysis-gas chromatography Á Condensable products Á Thermogravimetry Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (

Fast pyrolysis of hot-water-extracted and soda-AQ-delignified okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and miscanthus (miscanthus x giganteus) stalks by Py-GC/MS

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