Chemical characterization data of raw Loblolly pine bark nuggets

Abstract

Abstract There is a significant interest in repurposing commercial agricultural waste products, such as lignocellulosic pine bark biomass, to produce biochar as a nutritive soil enhancer, and as an adsorbent to remove toxic contaminants from water. Collecting and understanding the baseline chemical properties of this material is necessary for its use in industrial design and engineering solutions. Therefore, experiments were performed to characterize the chemical properties of raw Loblolly pine bark (Pinus taeda) using wet chemistry, microscopy, and spectroscopy. The results indicated that the acid value of the pine bark and the point of zero charge (pHpzc) were found to be at a pH of 7.01 and 5.51, respectively. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Time of Flight-Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analysis revealed that the biomass was primarily composed of the elements C, O, N, S, and had traces of Al, Si, Ca, and K. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) provided insight into the relative roughness and geometry of the biomass surface. It is expected that these data will be useful for the researchers working with Loblolly pine bark.