Pyrolysis gases released during the thermal decomposition of three Mediterranean species

The aim of this work is to improve the understanding of the pyrolysis of species involved in fires of Mediterranean vegetation and to propose a description and a quantification of the gases released during their degradation. TG-MS and FTIR analyses were performed with three Mediterranean species: Cistus creticus, Myrtus communis and Genista corsica. The pyrolysis behaviour of these plants was studied. TG curves show differences between plants. Then, the evolution of the pyrolysis gases was investigated. The main gases released were H(2)O, CO(2), CO, CH(4) and H(2). The use of FTIR and mass spectrometry allowed identifying the different stages of the gas formation. The last part of the study was devoted to the gas quantification from the results obtained with the TG-MS. The results showed variations of the gas composition in function to the temperature and of the plant species. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.