ASTM E1756

Determination of Total Solids in Biomass

Applicability: ASTM E1756 applies to biomass materials including wood, agricultural residues, grasses, algae, and other plant-derived feedstocks used for bioenergy and bioproducts production. It is applicable to samples ranging from wet freshly harvested materials to air-dried feedstocks, covering moisture contents from near zero to over 70% on an as-received basis. The method is not applicable to samples that contain significant amounts of volatile organic compounds other than water that would be lost during oven drying.

Purpose: ASTM E1756 determines total solids content by oven-drying a weighed biomass sample at 105°C to constant mass and reporting the residual dry matter as a percentage of the original as-received mass, with the total moisture content being the complement. This measurement provides the moisture basis required to convert all compositional data — including structural carbohydrate, lignin, and ash content — to a consistent dry weight basis, which is essential for process design, feedstock characterization, and biorefinery mass balance calculations.