Acacia mearnsii de Wild (black wattle) is one of the most important trees planted in Southern Brazil for tannin extraction and charcoal production. The pyrolysis of the black wattle wood used for obtaining charcoal is performed in brick ovens, with the gas fraction being sent directly into the environment. The present study examines the condensable compounds present in the liquor produced from black wattle wood at different thermal degradation conditions, using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Branches of black wattle were thermally degraded at controlled ambient and temperature conditions. Overall, a higher variety of compounds were obtained under atmospheric air pressure than under synthetic air pressure. Most of the tentatively identified compounds, such as carboxylic acids, phenols, aldehydes, and low molecular mass lignin fragments, such as guayacol, syringol, and eugenol, were products of lignin thermoconversion. Substituted aromatic compounds, such as vanillin, ethyl vanillin, and 2-methoxy-4-propeny-phenol, were also identified. At temperatures above 200 ºC, furan, 2-acetylfuran, methyl-2-furoate, and furfural, amongst others, were identified as polysaccharide derivatives from cellulose and hemicellulose depolymerization. This study evidences the need for adequate management of the condensable by-products of charcoal production, both for economic reasons and for controlling their potential environmental impact.

Recycling of paper in industrial scale has become an established practice worldwide. In this work, organic compositions of three different kinds of sludge generated in recycle paper industry were studied, and the incorporation of one of those sludge in briket was also investigated. The characterization of organic compounds in sludge samples and briket was performed using Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry after a Soxhlet extraction. Different chemical classes were identified in each type of sludge, but just the sludge composed by cellulose residue did not presented polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Four formulations of sludge incorporated with charcoal for briket production were evaluated.

The growth of biodiesel market and the implementation of regulations related to biodiesel production and biodiesel/diesel blending has encouraged the development of appropriate analytical methods to control the composition of this type of mixture. In this study, an evaluation of the potential of GC×GC for the characterization of samples of beef tallow biodiesel and the composition of blends of biodiesel/diesel is presented. The methodology was applied to beef tallow biodiesel and its mixtures with petrodiesel, ranging from B2 to B50. Results allowed not only the identification and quantification of the biodiesel esters, but also the biodiesel percentage in biodiesel/diesel blends.

The scope of this study encompasses an overview of the principles of unified chromatography as well as the principles of chromatographic techniques as applied to unified systems, which include gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, high temperature and high pressure liquid chromatography, micro-liquid chromatography, enhanced fluidity chromatography, and solvating gas chromatography. Theoretical considerations and individual instrumental parameters such as mobile phase, sample introduction system, columns, and detection system are also discussed. Future applications of this separation approach are discussed.