This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what

changes have been made to the previous version. Because

it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.

Designation:E1756–01 Designation: E 1756 – 08

Standard Test Method for

Determination of Total Solids in Biomass1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1756; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

INTRODUCTION

The total solids content is used to adjust the mass of the biomass so that all analytical results may
be reported on a moisture-free basis. Total solids content may be determined by overnight drying at
105°C in a convection oven or with a loss-on-drying moisture analyzer.
1. Scope
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the amount of total solids remaining after drying a sample. Materials suitable
for this procedure include samples prepared in accordance with Practice E 1757 and extractive-free material prepared in
accordance with Test Method E 1690. For particulate wood fuels, Test Method E 871 should be used.
1.2The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents iTeh Standards
(https://standards.iteh.ai)
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2
E 871 Test Method for Moisture Analysis of Particulate Wood Fuels
E 1690 Test Method for Determination of Ethanol Extractives in Biomass
Document Preview
E 1757 Practice for Preparation of Biomass for Compositional Analysis
3. Terminology
3.1 Descriptions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
ASTM E1756-08
3.1.1 oven-dried solids—the solids remaining after heating the prepared biomass at 105°C to constant mass. For the purposes
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of this procedure, the moisture content of a biomass sample is considered to be the amount of mass lost during the drying of the
sample at 105°C to constant mass. An inherent error of this and any oven-drying procedure is that volatile substances other than
water are removed from the sample during drying.
3.1.2 prepared biomass—the biomass that has been processed according to Practice E 1757.
4. Significance and Use
4.1 Moisture is a ubiquitous and variable component of any biomass sample. Moisture is not considered a structural component
of biomass and can change with storage and handling of biomass samples. The determination of the total solids content allows for
the correction of biomass samples to an oven-dried solids mass that is constant for a particular sample.
4.2 This procedure is not suitable for biomass samples that visibly change on heating to 105°C, for example, unwashed
acid-pretreated biomass still containing free acid.
4.3 Some materials that contain large amount of free sugars or proteins will caramelize or brown under direct infrared heating
elements used in Test Method B. Total solids in these materials should be done by Test Method A.
5. Apparatus and Materials
5.1 Analytical Balance, sensitive to 0.1 mg.

1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E48 on Biotechnology and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E48.05 on Biomass Conversion.
Current edition approved November 10, 2001. Published February 2002. Originally published as E1756-95. Last previous edition E1756-95.
Current edition approved May 1, 2008. Published May 2008. Originally approved in 1995. Last previous edition approved in 2001 as E1756-01.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on the ASTM website.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

1
 E 1756 – 08
5.2 Drying Oven, 105 6 3°C (Test Method A only).
5.3 Desiccator, containing anhydrous calcium sulfate (Test Method A only).
5.4 Moisture Analyzer,3 infrared heated, 20 g capacity, 1 mg resolution (Test Method B only).
5.5 Drying Pans, disposable, aluminum, 10 cm diameter, suitable for moisture analyzer (Test Method B only).
6. Sampling
6.1 The sample is material prepared according to Practice E 1757 or extractives-free material prepared according to Test Method
E 1690.
7. Procedure: Test Method A
7.1 This test method is suitable for either prepared biomass samples or extractives-free material and employs drying the sample
at 105 6 3°C in a drying oven.
7.2 Uniquely mark a suitable container, such as disposable aluminum weighing pan or 50 mL beaker, for each sample and place
in the drying oven at 105°C for at least one hour. Cool the containers to room temperature in the desiccator.
7.3 Weigh each container on the analytical balance to the nearest 0.1 mg. Record this as the tare mass, m t.
7.4 Weigh a nominal 0.5 g of sample into the marked, tared container to the nearest 0.1 mg. Record the mass of the biomass
plus container as the initial mass, mi 1.
7.5 Place the sample in the drying oven at 105 6 3°C for at least 3 h but not longer than 72 h. Allow the samples to cool to
room temperature in a desiccator. Weigh each sample to the nearest 0.1 mg and record this mass. After weighing, return the samples
to the drying oven at 105°C for 1 h, cool again in the desiccator, and weigh again. Repeat this step until the mass of the samples
varies by less than 0.3 mg from the previous weighing. Record this mass as the final mass, mf1.
8. Calculation: Test Method A
8.1 Calculate the mass percent of the total solids obtained by drying at 105°C as

where:
iTeh Standards%T 105 5 ~mf1 2 mt!/~m i1 2 mt! 3 100 % (1)

%T 105
mt (https://standards.iteh.ai)
= mass percent of total solids based on 105°C dry mass,
= tare mass of dried container,
mi 1 = initial mass of container and biomass, and
mf1 Document
= final mass of container and biomass Preview
after drying at 105°C.

9. Procedure: Test Method B

9.1 This test method is suitable for either prepared ASTM
biomass E1756-08
samples or extractives-free material and employs an automated
moisture analyzer. This test method is not suitable for materials with bulk densities of less than 0.1 g/cm3.
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9.2 Set the standby temperature to 60°C and allow the instrument to warm-up for 30 min. Set the drying temperature to 105°C.
The drying program should be set to end when the sample mass changes less than 0.05 % in mass per minute.
9.3 Tare a disposable aluminum drying pan on the analyzer’s balance according to the manufacturer instructions.

3
A Denver Instruments, Model IR-100, available from Denver Instrument Company, 6542 Fig St., Arvada, CO 80004, has been found to be satisfactory for this purpose.
3
The sole source of supply of the Denver Instruments, Model IR-120 known to the committee at this time is Denver Instrument Company, 1401 17th St. Suite 750, Denver,
CO 80202. If you are aware of alternative suppliers, please provide this information to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration
at a meeting of the responsible technical committee, which you may attend.

TABLE 1 Critical Difference, Percent of Grand Average, For the

Conditions NotedA,B
Number of
Observations Single Operator
Test Conditions
in Precision
Each Average
Test Method A, hybrid poplar 1 0.55
2 0.39
Test Method A, fermentation residue 1 1.35
2 0.95
Test Method B, hybrid poplar 1 0.56
2 0.40
Test Method B, switchgrass 1 0.89
2 0.63
A
The critical differences were calculated with z = 1.960.
B
To convert the values of the critical differences to units of measure, multiply the
critical differences by the average of the two specific sets of data being compared
and divide by 100.