Comparing gas composition from fast pyrolysis of live foliage measured in bench-scale and fire-scale experiments

Background Fire models have used pyrolysis data from oxidising and non-oxidising environments for flaming combustion. In wildland fires pyrolysis, flaming and smouldering combustion typically occur in an oxidising environment (the atmosphere). Aims Using compositional data analysis methods, determine if the composition of pyrolysis gases measured in non-oxidising and ambient (oxidising) atmospheric conditions were similar. Methods Permanent gases and tars were measured in a fuel-rich (non-oxidising) environment in a flat flame burner (FFB). Permanent and light hydrocarbon gases were measured for the same fuels heated by a fire flame in ambient atmospheric conditions (oxidising environment). Log-ratio balances of the measured gases common to both environments (CO, CO2, CH4, H2, C6H6O (phenol), and other gases) were examined by principal components analysis (PCA), canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). Key results Mean composition changed between the non-oxidising and ambient atmosphere samples. PCA showed that flat flame burner (FFB) samples were tightly clustered and distinct from the ambient atmosphere samples. CDA found that the difference between environments was defined by the CO-CO2 log-ratio balance. PERMANOVA and pairwise comparisons found FFB samples differed from the ambient atmosphere samples which did not differ from each other. Conclusion Relative composition of these pyrolysis gases differed between the oxidising and non-oxidising environments. This comparison was one of the first comparisons made between bench-scale and field scale pyrolysis measurements using compositional data analysis. Implications These results indicate the need for more fundamental research on the early time-dependent pyrolysis of vegetation in the presence of oxygen.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Wildland Fire
Published
2024-08-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1071/wf23200
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.13

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article

Comparing gas composition from fast pyrolysis of live foliage measured in bench-scale and fire-scale experiments

Bret W. Butler, Mark A. Dietenberger, Babak Shotorban, Joseph J. O’Brien et al.
4 citations
International Journal of Wildland Fire
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
1.13
article

Comparing gas composition from fast pyrolysis of live foliage measured in bench-scale and fire-scale experiments

Bret W. Butler, Mark A. Dietenberger, Babak Shotorban, Joseph J. O’Brien, David R. Weise, Stephen P. Baker, Wei Min Hao, Roger D. Ottmar, Marko Princevac, Timothy J. Johnson, Thomas H. Fletcher, Tanya L. Myers, Shankar Mahalingam, Andrew Thomas Hudak, Akira Kato, E. Louise Loudermilk, Javier Palarea‐Albaladejo, Sara McAllister
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Background Fire models have used pyrolysis data from oxidising and non-oxidising environments for flaming combustion. In wildland fires pyrolysis, flaming and smouldering combustion typically occur in an oxidising environment (the atmosphere). Aims Using compositional data analysis methods, determine if the composition of pyrolysis gases measured in non-oxidising and ambient (oxidising) atmospheric conditions were similar. Methods Permanent gases and tars were measured in a fuel-rich (non-oxidising) environment in a flat flame burner (FFB). Permanent and light hydrocarbon gases were measured for the same fuels heated by a fire flame in ambient atmospheric conditions (oxidising environment). Log-ratio balances of the measured gases common to both environments (CO, CO2, CH4, H2, C6H6O (phenol), and other gases) were examined by principal components analysis (PCA), canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). Key results Mean composition changed between the non-oxidising and ambient atmosphere samples. PCA showed that flat flame burner (FFB) samples were tightly clustered and distinct from the ambient atmosphere samples. CDA found that the difference between environments was defined by the CO-CO2 log-ratio balance. PERMANOVA and pairwise comparisons found FFB samples differed from the ambient atmosphere samples which did not differ from each other. Conclusion Relative composition of these pyrolysis gases differed between the oxidising and non-oxidising environments. This comparison was one of the first comparisons made between bench-scale and field scale pyrolysis measurements using compositional data analysis. Implications These results indicate the need for more fundamental research on the early time-dependent pyrolysis of vegetation in the presence of oxygen.

International Journal of Wildland FireVol. 33(9)
Brigham Young University (US), University of California, Riverside (US), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US), Chiba University (JP), Universitat de Girona (ES), Southern Research Station (US), Pacific Northwest Research Station (US), Forest Products Laboratory (US), Pacific Southwest Research Station (US), Rocky Mountain Research Station (US), Rocky Mountain Research (United States) (US), Human Growth Foundation (US), University of Alabama in Huntsville (US)
U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brigham Young University, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, U.S. Forest Service, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
1.13
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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