Canadian Forest Service Publications
Effects of charring on mass, organic carbon, and stable carbon isotope composition of wood. 2002. Czimezik, C.I.; Preston, C.M.; Schmidt, M.W.I.; Werner, R.A.; Schulze, E. Organic Geochemistry 33: 1207-1223.
Year: 2002
Issued by: Pacific Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 20825
Language: English
Availability: Order paper copy (free)
Abstract
To aid in understanding black carbon (BC) formation during smoldering combustion in forest fires, we characterized charring of a softwood and hardwood. Charring (150, 340, 480 ºC) caused mass loss 7–84%), enrichment of organic carbon (OC) (0–32%), and C–13 depletion (>150 ºC). As determined by C–13 MAS NMR, the OC composition of the woods was dominated by (di)-O-alkyl structures, and the cars by alkyl and aromatic structures. With increasing temperature, aromatic structures increased and the chars became more similar, although initial differences in OC concentration and delta C–13 of woods persisted. The BC cluster sizes apparently remained small, pointing towards a low resistance against oxidation.