Slow pyrolysis of spruce and pine samples studied with GC/MS and GC/FTIR/FID

Small samples (10 – 150 mg) from eight pine and spruce species were pyrolysed at 550 °C. The samples were taken from Scotch pine, Austrian pine, Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, Norway spruce, White spruce, Black spruce and Sitka spruce. The compounds produced from the pyrolysis were analysed with several gas chromatographic (GC) methods: direct injection with GC/MS or GC/FTER/FID and pre-concentration with GC/MS and GC/FID. The product distributions of organic compounds from the different conifers show common features. Large amounts of oxygenated organic compounds were formed: aldehydes, acids, ketones and methoxylated phenols. The pine species produced less methoxylated phenols than the spruce species.