Analytical pyrolysis as a tool for the characterization of natural organic matter—A comparison of different approaches

Characterisation of aged charcoal using a coil probe pyrolysis-GC/MS method optimised for black carbon

“…Curie-point pyrolysis, coil probe pyrolysis systems have the advantage that high temperatures (>1000 8C) can be achieved, that the quartz tubes used have a large sample capacity and that variable temperature experiments can be performed. On the other hand, the quartz tubes shield off some of the heat applied to the coil probe from the sample, so that the actual heat applied to the sample cannot be constrained [57,58]. Samples (1-1.5 mg) were embedded in glass wool-containing fire-polished quartz tubes.…”

Getting to the root of the problem: litter decomposition and peat formation in lowland Neotropical peatlands

“…Tetramethylammonium-pyrolysis-gas chromatographymass spectrometry (TMAH-Py-GC/MS) represents an alternative method to characterize peat composition and to explore plant material accumulation/decomposition through time (Carr et al 2010;McClymont et al 2011;Parsi et al 2007;Steward et al 2009), providing a mechanistic understanding of decomposition processes in relations to the organic chemistry of the litter inputs that form peat (Schellekens et al 2015). For example, Py-GC/MS has been used to identify vegetation shifts that occurred through thousands of years in peat deposits (Schellekens et al 2009).…”

Soil organic matter chemistry changes upon secondary succession in Imperata Grasslands, Indonesia: A pyrolysis–GC/MS study

“…Pyrolysis-GC/MS provides a large amount of structural information on SOM (De la Rosa et al, 2008;Hatcher et al, 2001;Parsi et al, 2007;Saiz-Jimenez and De Leeuw, 1986), and better identification and comparison of the SOM produced under different environments (Lienweber and Schulten, 1999;Nierop et al, 2001b;Perobelli Ferreira et al, 2009;Saiz-Jimenez et al, 1996). It also provides information on, e.g., selective decomposition and preservation of plant-derived material, admixture of microbial products, and addition of charred material (Buurman and Roscoe, 2011;Buurman et al, 2007b;Kaal et al, 2008).…”