Structural analysis of lignin in chestnut wood by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The goal of the study was to determine the percentage of lignin in chestnut wood and to characterize structurally this polymer by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) according to a possible influence on ring shake defect. The sampling was performed in different sites of Lazio Region in Italy. Wood disks from trees with ring shake defect and without ring shake defect were selected and little amount of heartwood (1–2 g) sampled between 6th and 10th and between 11th and 15th annual growth ring were analyzed. The study allowed quantifying lignin content, which is in average 26% and syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio, which present an average value of 2.43. Belong the pyrolysis products of wood, the trees characterized by ring shake show a higher concentration of the phenol homosyringaldehyde respect to the healthy trees. There is not any evident difference in the products composition of pyrolysis in respect to trees’ age, especially the critical period of 12–14 years in which ring shake generally becomes more evident. The site of wood provenance is the higher factor of variability in the structure of lignin for many phenols.