Emission of oxygenated species from the combustion of pine wood and its relation to soot formation

Combustion tests of pine wood cribs have been performed in different airflows in a fire test chamber. VOC in the flue gas has been monitored on-line using FTIR. Soot was collected at different heights above the bed on to quartz fibre filters and was characterized using pyrolysis-GC-MS. Correlation between combustion conditions and emission profiles were elucidated. The soot contained significant amounts of adsorbed oxygenated material derived from pyrolysis of the wood. Three types of material were identified: pyrolysis products, pyrolysis recombination products and PAH, and significant proportions of O-PAH are also present. Oxygenated PAH increased with temperature and higher air flow rate whereas oxygenated phenolic type material increased with lower temperature and lower air flow rate. Cooler flames from oxygen-starved fires akin to conditions in household fires produce significant higher proportions of phenolic material. Oxygen appears to play a significant role in the production of soot and there appear to be two routes by which PAH material can be synthesized. Firstly through conventional hydrocarbon mechanisms such as the HACA method and secondly through a route involving the polymerization of biomass pyrolysis fragments. A number of important species are identified which could be intermediates between these pyrolysis products and PAH.