Getting wood

Wood is the focus of new research into biofuels, while removing toxins from other crops is important for biofuels and food supply. Forest fires and phosphorus are analysed while the route discovered to taken by aluminium through the aquatic foodchain might quell some pollutant fears. This week’s column on SpectroscopyNOW.com:

  • What’s wood worth? – X-ray technique confirms the properties of catalysts used to make biofuels derived from a potentially sustainable woody source, lignocellulose.
  • Spectral statistics study on toxic crops – Some crops contain natural toxins that are usually removed during processing and cooking. Now a statistical analysis of visible and near-infrared (vis-NIR) spectroscopy has demonstrated how they can be quantified alongside oil and protein determination in cultivars of one of the most important crops, rapeseed.
  • Forest fire phosphorus – Phosphorus NMR spectroscopy has been used to investigate the effects on the chemistry of phosphorus in soil as an indicator of nutritional quality for vegetation and tree growth following a forest fire.
  • Aquatic aluminium all-clear – Spectroscopy was used to track the path of an aluminium contaminant in water as it travels through the food chain. The study indicates that the toxic metal accumulates only in the inedible parts of some shellfish.