Sanna Laukkanen

Measurement of biogenic or biobased carbon in a material or product as a percent of the total carbon or total organic carbon in the product. ASTM D6866 outlines two ways of expressing the proportion of material that originates from renewable resources. Biogenic carbon content indicates the proportion of total carbon (TC) originating from renewable resources. Alternatively, inorganic carbon can be removed before testing, and the result is then expressed in relation to total organic carbon (TOC), giving the biobased carbon content. An additional cost applies to the removal of inorganic carbon. The displayed price applies to non-volatile samples. If your sample is volatile, please discuss the suitability of your sample type with our experts. Please also note that we cannot accept samples that contain artificial carbon-12, carbon-13, or carbon-14 isotopes because they will cause damage to the equipment. Note! The results obtained for gaseous emissions should always be expressed as "biogenic carbon content" because the initial step of converting carbon to gaseous CO2 cannot be done when the carbon is already in gaseous form. Biobased carbon content determination by ASTM D6866 does not reveal how much of the sample's total weight originates from renewable sources. This can be estimated, however, by combining data on biobased carbon content with information on the total carbon content of the product. One common application of this measurement is determining the biomass fraction of CO2 emissions for the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), as required by the Monitoring and Reporting Regulation (MRR). For this purpose, testing is for relevant municipal waste incineration plants and industrial plants that use mixed fuels.

Determination of the acid-insoluble and acid-soluble lignin content of biomass samples. A solid biomass sample is hydrolyzed, and the acid-insoluble residue is filtered out to determine the amount of Klason lignin. Acid-soluble lignin is determined from the hydrolysate using a UV-VIS-spectrophotometer. The lignin content is reported as wt-% of the initial sample on an oven-dry basis. To obtain a more comprehensive picture of sample composition, we also offer a compositional analysis of biomass, which includes a determination of carbohydrate composition in addition to lignin content.

The molar mass distribution of biomass samples soluble in pure water or organic solvents (DMF, DMSO, and THF) is measured with size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with a refractive index detector (SEC-RID). The system is calibrated with polystyrene and dextran standards. A Pullulan standard is also available upon request. In the case of lignin samples, molar mass distribution is analyzed using SEC coupled with a Ultraviolet detector at 256 nm wavelength. The lignin is dissolved in a suitable solvent before analysis. The SEC system is calibrated with a polystyrene sulfonate standard. A borate buffer is used to set the pH for the eluent. The weight-average molecular weight and number-average molecular weight are reported.

This biomass composition analysis includes the following determinations: Carbohydrate content, Lignin content , Degradation products. During the analysis, the biomass sample is hydrolyzed to break the carbohydrates into detectable monomeric sugars. These are analyzed using either ion chromatography or high-performance liquid chromatography, depending on the test standard. The acid-insoluble residue is filtered out and its ash content is determined to measure the amount of Klason lignin. Acid-soluble lignin is determined from the hydrolysate using a UV-spectrophotometer. Organic acids and furans can also be quantified upon request. Please let us know which compositional parameters you wish to be included in the report when requesting an offer for the analysis.