Representative sampling in biomass studies — not so fast!
DOI: 10.1255/tosf.4
Abstract
Proper execution of representative sampling and laboratory mass reduction procedures are critical for the validity and reliability of
chemical analyses of highly heterogeneous biomass fuels. In the study reported by Thy et al.,1 it was demonstrated that faulty sampling
had resulted in apparent ash compositions that differed from the true compositions by factors of two to three for many major oxides.
Analytical results based on non-representative samples may thus not be representative for the specific fuel and processes being
studied. Despite the general acceptance that accurate and representative compositions is a critical prerequisite for understanding
reactions and elemental fractionation, the biomass energy community appears largely to have ignored the critical issues surrounding
representative primary sampling. This can have resulted in misleading or faulty conclusions and may have restricted reliable predictive
modelling.
Published in Issue 1 · November/December 2013
Citing this article
Thy, P. & Esbensen, K. H. (2013). Representative sampling in biomass studies — not so fast. Sampling Science & Technology, November/December 2013(1), 7-10. https://doi.org/10.1255/tosf.4
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