Characterization of Heavy Products from Lignocellulosic Biomass Pyrolysis by Chromatography and Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry: A Review
Jasmine Hertzog, Charlotte Mase, Marie Hubert‐Roux, Carlos Afonso, Pierre Giusti, Caroline Barrère‐Mangote
Abstract
Bio-oils obtained from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis are promising energetic resources. However, their high oxygen content is responsible for storage and corrosion issues and does not allow their direct use as biofuels. Therefore, upgrading treatments are necessary to reduce the oxygen content and to give them physiochemical properties close to those of fossil fuels. To monitor the efficiency of both conversion and upgrading processes, the extensive molecular composition of bio-oil is needed. In that sense, two approaches can be applied for bio-oil characterization. The non-targeted one, using high-resolution mass spectrometry, ensures to distinguish and assign tens of thousands features at the isobaric level. On the other hand, targeted analyses, especially with chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry, allow quantifying and obtaining isomeric information on the bio-oil species. In this review, both approaches will be discussed through the different studies performed in that field. Particular interest will be given to heavy compounds analysis by Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) and liquid and supercritical fluid chromatographies. Most of the analyses are performed either by FTMS or by chromatography. Only a limited number of works report bio-oil characterization by liquid chromatography hyphenated to FTMS. These hyphenated methods are complementary and ensured to highlight hitherto unknown bio-oil species. It therefore represents the next step for deciphering the complex molecular composition of bio-oil.