Abstract
Changes of the extractives contents in pruning shoots of Japanese cedar during storing and pelletizing procedure were determined with GC and GC/MS. The extractives are consisted with essential oil and phenols such as terpenoids, flavonoids and lignans. Monoterpenes with high volatile properties were released from the leaves during storing and pelletizing of the pruning shoots. The remaining essential oils in the pellets were mainly consisted of sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, and some monoterpene-alcohols with lower volatility. These remaining oils are well known for having anti-biotic properties. Other extractives were also subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. Ethyl acetate and alcohol soluble fractions containing phenols and phenol glycosides, respectively, also remained in the pruning shoots and pellets after storage and pelletizing. These fractions exhibited anti-oxidant activity. Pellets produced from pruning residues with varied moisture content. No correlation between moisture content and durability was detected. However, the durability did correlate with the pellet length. The durability of the pellets was slightly lower than that of the normal tree trunk pellets. In addition, the higher heating value (HHV) of the pruning residue pellets was higher than that of the normal pellets because of the higher extractive concentrations such as in terpenoids, phenols, and wax.
