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Published November 1993 | public
Journal Article

Lignin pyrolysis products, lignans, and resin acids as specific tracers of plant classes in emissions from biomass combustion

Abstract

Biomass smoke aerosols contain thermally unaltered and partially altered biomarker compounds from major vegetation taxa. These compounds range from C_8 to C_(31) and include phytosterols, lignans, phenolic products from lignin, and diterpenoids from resins. Certain of the higher molecular weight biomarkers are vaporized from the parent plant material and subsequently condense unaltered into the particle phase. Other compounds undergo pyrolytic alteration and possibly dimerization. In both cases it is possible to assign many of these compounds to the plant taxa of the unburned fuel. The diterpenoids are good indicators for smoke from burning of gymnosperm wood. The relative distribution of the OH/OCH_3 substituent patterns on the phenolic products indicates the plant class of the biomass that was burned. Application of these relationships to the interpretation of ambient smoke aerosols may permit further evaluation of the sources that contribute to regional biomass burning.

Additional Information

© 1993 American Chemical Society. Received for review March 6, 1993. Revised manuscript received August 2, 1993. Accepted August 6, 1993. We thank Ed Ruth for assistance in GC-MS data acquisition. This research was supported by the US. Environmental Protection Agency under Agreement R-819714-01-0 and by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Partial funding also was provided by the US. Department of Energy under Contract DEAC02-76CH00016. The manuscript was not subject to the EPA's peer and policy review and hence does not necessarily reflect the views of the EPA.

Additional details

Created:
August 20, 2023
Modified:
October 25, 2023