2010: NIR Cellulose

Multi-site and Multi Species NIR calibration for cellulose

 

Following the proof-of-concept work that NIR calibrations can be built to predict cellulose content in eucalypt woodmeal, it needed to be determined whether a single calibration could be constructed that would be applicable to all eucalypt species.

 

Cellulose content is highly correlated with Kraft pulp yield (r2 80-85%), and is often used as a surrogate for this commercially important trait.  In the 1990's, as part of the CRC for Hardwood Fibre and Paper Science, Adrian Wallis, Phil Wright and Ross Wearne developed the digylme method for measuring cellulose content.  This method has become the basis for the development of our NIR calibrations, and with care can generate reproducible results with standard errors less than 0.3%.

 

The paper below describes the calibration and the cycles of development over 8 years to build a single calibration that is both precise and accurate.

 

This paper was published in the Journal of Near infrared Spectroscopy and can be downloaded here by permission of IM Publications. (see abstract).

 

Copyright 2010 IM Publications.

 

Downes G.M., Meder R. and Harwood C. (2010) A multi-site, multi-species calibration for the prediction of cellulose content in eucalypt woodmeal. JNIRS 18, 381-387