Analytical pyrolysis of polymeric carbohydrates

Study of flash pyrolysis and combustion of biomass powders using the Godbert-Greenwald furnace: An essential step to better understand organic dust explosions

“…The glucopyranose-units (C 6 H 10 O 5 ) are linked by α(1→4) glycosidic bonds in starch, causing it to generally decompose at slightly lower temperatures than cellulose [35,36], but following the same pyrolytic pathway including glycoside bonds breakage [37]. Since the devolatilization of starch is easier than that of cellulose [37], the lower production of levoglucosan can be explained either by a higher generation of noncondensable gases, or by the presence of glucose-based anhydrosugars containing two or more monomeric units, which are hardly detectable [38]. Such analysis thus enables to identify common stages but also some specificities in the pyrolysis process of biomass powders; differences and common features that can be exploited when proposing explosion mechanisms.…”

Gold Mine Wooden Artefacts: Multianalytical Investigations for the Selection of Appropriate Consolidation Treatments

“…A significant increase in the abundance of anhydrosugars and a decrease in cyclopentenones in all archaeological samples was observed. Among anhydrosugars, levoglucosan is the most abundant and it is reported in the literature that the pyrolysis yield of levoglucosan increases as the polymerisation degree of cellulose decreases [21,43]. Consequently, an increase in anhydrosugars can be considered as an indication of a partial depolymerisation of polysaccharides, a decay phenomenon that cannot be evaluated on the basis of the H/L ratio.…”