(Table T1) N-alkane, n-alcohol and n-fatty acid concentrations in ODP Site 184-1147 and 184-1148 sediments

Lipid compositions of sediments recovered during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 184 in the South China Sea have been identified and quantified. The identified lipids can be ascribed to terrigenous and marine sources. Terrigenous lipids are mainly C27, C29, C31 n-alkanes, C26, C28, C30 n-fatty acids, and n-alcohols, which were derived from leaf waxes of higher land plants and transported to the sea by airborne dust or fresh water. Marine lipids, mainly C37 and C38 alkenones, C30 diol, and C30 and C32 keto-ols, were from microalgae, notably haptophytes and eustigmatophytes. Elevated concentrations and accumulation rates of both terrigenous and marine lipids in the interval 202-245 meters composite depth (mcd) and 0-166 mcd were postulated to be related to the development of the East Asian monsoon at 6-8 Ma and enhanced variations of the developed East Asian monsoon after 3.2 Ma, respectively. The pronounced late Oligocene input of terrigenous lipids reflects the paleoenvironment of a newly opened, narrow basin, with restricted ocean waters and the proximity of continental runoff

Py-GC/MS study of lignin pyrolysis and effect of catalysts on product distribution

Fast pyrolysis is one of the most promising methods to convert lignin into fuels and chemicals. In the present study, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used to evaluate vapor phase product distribution of lignin fast pyrolysis. During the non-catalytic pyrolysis process, lignin was pyrolyzed at 400 degrees C, 500 degrees C and 600 degrees C respectively, finding that the highest yield of aromatic hydrocarbons was obtained at 600 degrees C. Catalytic pyrolysis experiments were also conducted to investigate the effects of catalyst pore structure and acidity on the product distributions. Five different catalysts (HZSM-5, MCM-41, TiO2, ZrO2 and Mg(Al) O) were applied to lignin catalytic pyrolysis, and the catalytic performance was estimated by analyzing the pyrolytic products. The catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction ( XRD), BET, and NH3 (CO2) temperature programmed desorption. Based on these characterizations, discussion was carried out to explain the formation of the produc distributions. Among the five catalysts, HZSM-5 exhibited the best performance on the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons