Abstract

This research demonstrates that supercritical extraction of the biomass has a remarkable and complex influence on Scots pine tree fractions changing the surface concentration of water, lipids, and metals simultaneously. Surprisingly, this surface composition modification makes a considerable impact on the pyrolysis of the bulk biomass mechanism, leading to the alternation of the volatile and inorganic matter composition. The unique combination of time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry analysis and utilization of pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data on the thermal behavior of woody biomass demonstrates, for the first time, the extraordinary influence of surface adsorbed metals on the composition of pyrolysis products. ScCO2 could extract the surface metals in the form of fatty acid salts, demonstrating a sustainable and environmentally friendly pretreatment method for controlling the pyrolysis products.

Keywords

supercritical extraction; surface; metal cations; Scots pine; Py-GC/MS; ToF-SIMS

Published in

ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
2021, volume: 9, number: 15, pages: 5278-5287
Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Authors' information