Remote sensing of volatile organic compounds release during prescribed fires in pine forests using open-path Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy

Cátia Magro; Oriana C. Gonçalves; Leónia Nunes; Stephen H. Perry; Francisco Castro Rego; Pedro Vieira

doi:10.1071/WF23019

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 33(4)

Remote sensing of volatile organic compounds release during prescribed fires in pine forests using open-path Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy

Cátia Magro

https://www.cienciavitae.pt/en/0110-BBDD-D66A

^A ^B ^* , Oriana C. Gonçalves

^C , Leónia Nunes

^B ^D , Stephen H. Perry ^E , Francisco Castro Rego

^D and Pedro Vieira ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School for International Training, World Learning Inc., Brattleboro, VT 05302, USA.

^B Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Almada, Portugal.

^C Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal.

^D Centre for Applied Ecology “Professor Baeta Neves” (CEABN), InBIO, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal.

^E KASSAY FSI, 160 Water Street, Reading, PA 19605, USA.

^* Correspondence to: catia.magro@sit.edu

International Journal of Wildland Fire 33, WF23019 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF23019

Submitted: 8 February 2023 Accepted: 24 March 2024 Published: 10 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Extreme wildfires have increased in recent decades, yet the consequences of extreme fire behaviour are not fully comprehended. The study of prescribed burning provides opportunities to advance understanding of some overlooked processes in fire behaviour, such as the role of the release of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Aims

The aim of this study was to assess VOC (α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene), NH₃, CO and CO₂ emissions during prescribed fires in pine barrens vegetation at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, USA.

Methods

Measurements performed by open-path Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (OP-FTIR) quantified VOC concentrations and characterised emissions during four independent prescribed burns.

Key results

Combustion products (e.g. CO₂, CO, CH₄) and VOC exhibited similar emission behaviour during thermal degradation, though VOC concentrations appeared to be independent of the type of biomass burned, unlike those of combustion products; Pinus strobus L. emitted two orders of magnitude higher than Pinus rigida Mill.; VOC and CO are statistically correlated (R² = 0.84).

Conclusions

These results confirmed that OP-FTIR is a feasible approach for gathering qualitative and quantitative information regarding VOC emission during prescribed fires.

Implications

Quantification of VOC concentrations during prescribed fires helps characterise its relationships with greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. CO₂ and CO) at different burning conditions (e.g. wind, biomass type), which could be incorporated into existing fire behaviour models to enhance their ability to better predict fire propagation.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, OP-FTIR, Pinus rigida Mill., Pinus strobus L., prescribed fires, remote sensing, volatile organic compounds.

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