| Abstract: | Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is mainly known for its cooking qualities, but it possesses an essential oil with pharmacological properties. Moreover, this plant was the start of forest fires in Provence, France. The presence of biopolymers can contribute to electrical energy production by biomass combustion. The aim of this work was to study a stalk of rosemary during its biological cycle (November 1998 to June 1999). The chemical analysis (water, mineral ashes, cellulose, lignin, holocellulose, and extractives) showed few variations during this period. Leaves and branches differentiated themselves according to their chemical composition. Analyzed by chromatography gas–liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS) and gas–liquid chromatography/flam ionization detector (GC‐FID), the essential oil of this rosemary had a high level of camphor (30–45%), which could be used in new therapeutics (cardiac and respiratory analeptic). Finally, the simultaneous thermal analysis (DTA‐TG) was run on the fresh plants and the dried powdered samples. Several kinetic constants of the biopolymers had been computed: activation energies of cellulose and holocellulose. During heating, the rosemary's lignin decomposed more than others plants, thereby increasing the fire risks. The chemical, chromatographic, and thermal analysis run on the rosemary could be applied on other species in the Mediterranean basin. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 747–756, 2002 |
