Estimation of terpene content in loblolly pine biomass using a hybrid fast-GC and pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry method

- Diterpenoid contents were measured by pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry (py-MBMS).
- Py-MBMS analysis of diterpenoids is high throughput and more precise than gas chromatography (GC).
- Terpene content in pine wood was determined from analysis of solvent extracts.
- Monoterpenes were analyzed by fast-GC/FID.
- Mass balance closure of terpenes in oleoresin was achieved.

Terpenes can be used as renewable fuels and chemicals and quantifying their presence in biomass is becoming increasingly important. A novel method was developed to rapidly quantify total diterpenoid resin acids using pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry (py-MBMS). Pine sapling monoterpenes and diterpenoids were extracted from wood using a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of hexane and acetone and analyses were performed before and after extraction to determine the extraction efficiency of the solvent system. The resulting extract was analyzed for total diterpenoid content using py-MBMS and was combined with total monoterpene content that was determined using a low thermal mass modular accelerated column heater (LTM MACH) fast-GC/FID to measure the terpene content present in pine saplings. Oleoresin extruded from larger pine trees was used to validate mass balance closure of the terpene content in the extract solvent.