ABSTRACT
This paper is the first of a two series papers on the use of near infrared (NIR) coupled with multivariate data analysis (MVDA) as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for the rapid characterization of physical and chemical properties of two common West Virginian hardwood species, northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.). These two wood species are potential feed stock for the bio-refinery industry. In Part 1, we report our results on yellow-poplar. The results of this study demonstrated that some preprocessing operations on the NIR spectra (first derivative) greatly improved all the prediction models developed in the study. Predictive PLS1 models developed using selective spectra regions, 1300-1800 nm and the full NIR region (800-2400 nm), were similar. The selective spectra region, 1300-1800 nm, included the first and second overtone of the NIR spectrum (1300-1800 nm). Measured and predicted physical and chemical properties of yellow-poplar yielded moderate to high correlation (R2).
