Carbohydrates constitute the biggest part of the biomass on Earth. They are produced by photosynthesis and are present in all plants and plant based materials. The amount and composition of carbohydrates in a sample can reveal a wide range of different information, depending on the context. As a result, they are subject to analysis in various industries.
Levoglucosan, mannosan, galactosan and more
Fine dust limit values, which are used as health protection measures, are regularly being violated in many places. When looking for the culprit, the usual suspects are traffic and industry, but residential wood burning used for heating, too, has been linked to high fine dust values. The tracer levoglucosan is often determined in order to detect wood combustion.
This chromatogram shows the determination of a standard solution in which, in addition to levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan – all products of wood combustion – were analysed, as well as several biological sugars, alcohols, etc., which are typically found on aerosol particles. The high-capacity column achieves good separation of all substances which thus can be determined in a single analysis.
