Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 57 (2001) 275–285 Challenges in the isolation of taxanes from Taxus canadensis by fast pyrolysis B.J. Cass, J. Piskorz 1 , D.S. Scott, R.L. Legge * Department of Chemical Engineering, Uniersity of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont., Canada N2L 3G1 Received 25 May 2000; accepted 21 August 2000 Abstract The Waterloo Fast Pyrolysis Process (WFPP) was used to determine the feasibility of extracting taxanes from needles, twigs and whole clippings of Taxus canadensis. Purification techniques developed for solvent extracts were not suitable for achieving analytic chromato- graphic separation of taxanes from pyrolytic lignins and other pyrolysis products as these materials are in much higher quantities in pyrolysis oil than in solvent extracts. A number of separation techniques were attempted including liquid – liquid partitioning, silica gel chro- matography, adsorption and sodium phenoxide formation. Pretreatment of the feedstock by deionization was also attempted. Taxol ® was identified in pyrolysis oils of needles and whole clippings with 20% recovery compared to solvent extraction. Other taxanes were most likely present in higher concentrations but could not be analyzed because of interference by phenolic substances. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Taxanes; Taxus canadensis ; Pyrolysis; Taxol; Taxaceae www.elsevier.com/locate/jaap 1. Introduction Taxol ® is a naturally occurring diterpenoid that has proven effective in treating various types of cancer including ovarian and metastatic breast cancer [1]. Taxol was first isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew, Taxus breifolia, in 1971 as a result of an American National Cancer Institute (NCI) screening program [1]. Taxol is one of over 100 naturally occurring taxanes. While most of these taxanes * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-519-8884567 (ext. 6728); fax: +1-519-7464979. E-mail address: rllegge@engmail.uwaterloo.ca (R.L. Legge). 1 Present address: Resource Transforms International Ltd., Waterloo, ON, Canada. 0165-2370/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0165-2370(00)00148-0