Thesis
Rapid assessment of chemical composition, calorific value and specific gravity of hybrid poplar wood using near infrared spectroscopy
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2006
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/524
Abstract
With a growing interest in renewable energy, hybrid poplars (HP) could be optimized for bioenergy production via direct combustion or conversion into cellulosic ethanol. This project, in collaboration with Greenwood Resources Inc., aims at developing analytical tools for rapidly assessing and screening traits of HP that are relevant to bioenergy production. In particular, the ability of near infrared spectroscopy for determining the chemical composition, calorific value and specific gravity of HP was evaluated. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop NIR calibration models for assessing the chemical composition of HP, (2) to develop NIR calibration models for assessing both calorific value and specific gravity of HP wood and (3) to evaluate whether parentage, age and growing site of HP trees affect the calorific value and specific gravity of the wood. The chemical composition, energy content and specific gravity of HPs were reviewed and the correlations between wood chemical composition and energy content were established. The effectiveness of near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate analysis to develop calibration models for chemical composition of HPs were established. The study suggests that 1st derivative of the NIR spectral data are best suited for developing predictive models of the chemical composition of HP. Good calibrations were obtained for lignin, galactan and mannan contents with correlation coefficients higher than 0.90 while the model quality for xylan, ash and S/G ratio was slightly lower. On the other hand, the calibration models for extractives, glucan and arabinan contents gave poor results. Furthermore, NIR calibration models were developed for predicting calorific value and specific gravity of HP. Differences in calorific values and specific gravity between parentages, ages and growing sites were also evaluated. Good correlation coefficients for calorific value and specific gravity, 0.81 and 0.84 respectively, were obtained from calibration models based on the 1st derivative spectra. Parentages, tree ages and growth sites had no significant effect on the HP calorific value. On the other hand, a significant difference in wood specific gravity was found between HP woods of distinct parentage and age. The growing site of the tree did not affect wood specific gravity.
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Details
- Title
- Rapid assessment of chemical composition, calorific value and specific gravity of hybrid poplar wood using near infrared spectroscopy
- Creators
- Melchor C. Maranan
- Contributors
- Marie-Pierre Laborie (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Mechanical and Materials Engineering, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525053201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis