LIGNIN PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS, LIGNANS, AND RESIN ACIDS AS SPECIFIC TRACERS OF PLANT CLASSES IN EMISSIONS FROM BIOMASS COMBUSTION

Biomass smoke aerosols contain thermally unaltered and partially alter ed biomarker compounds from major vegetation taxa. These compounds ran ge from C-8 to C31 and include phytosterols, lignans, phenolic product s from lignin, and diterpenoids from resins. Certain of the higher mol ecular weight biomarkers are vaporized from the parent plant material and subsequently condense unaltered into the particle phase. Other com pounds undergo pyrolytic alteration and possibly dimerization. In both cases it is possible to assign many of these compounds to the plant t axa of the unburned fuel. The diterpenoids are good indicators for smo ke from burning of gymnosperm wood. The relative distribution of the O H/OCH3 substituent patterns on the phenolic products indicates the pla nt class of the biomass that was burned. Application of these relation ships to the interpretation of ambient smoke aerosols may permit furth er evaluation of the sources that contribute to regional biomass burni ng.