ASTM E1755-01(2007)

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:E1755–95 Designation: E 1755 – 01 (Reapproved 2007)
Standard Test Method for
Ash in Biomass
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1755; 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.
1. Scope
1.1 This test method covers the determination of ash, expressed as the mass percent of residue remaining after dry oxidation
(oxidation at 575 6 25°C), of hard and soft woods, herbaceous materials (such as switchgrass and sericea), agricultural residues
(such as corn stover, wheat straw, and bagasse), wastepaper (such as office waste, boxboard, and newsprint), acid and alkaline
pretreated biomass, and the solid fraction of fermentation residues.All results are reported relative to the 105°C oven-dried mass
of the sample. For particulate wood fuels, Test Method E 1534 should be used.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the 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
2.1 ASTM Standards:
E 1534 Test Method for Determination of Ash Content of Particulate Wood Fuels
E 1756 Test Method for the Determination of Total Solids in Biomass
E 1757 Practice for Preparation of Biomass for Compositional Analysis
3. Terminology
3.1 Descriptions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.1.1 ash—the inorganic residue left after ignition at 5756 25°C.
4. Significance and Use
4.1 The ash content is an approximate measure of the mineral content and other inorganic matter in biomass.
4.2 The ash content is used in conjunction with other assays to determine the total composition of biomass samples.
5. Apparatus
5.1 Aluminum Weighing Pans or Crucibles, 50 mL, if crucibles are used, platinum crucibles are preferred, but silica or porcelain
crucibles may be used. Ashing Crucibles, 50 mL, platinum crucibles are preferred, but silica or porcelain crucibles may be used.
5.2 Muffle Furnace, an electric furnace is recommended for igniting the sample. The furnace should be fitted with an indicating
pyrometer or thermocouple, so that the required temperature of 575 6 25°C can be maintained.
5.3 Analytical Balance, sensitive to 0.1 mg.
5.4 Desiccator, using anhydrous calcium sulfate.
5.5 Drying Oven, with temperature control of 105 6 2°C.
6. Test Specimen
6.1 Test specimens suitable for analysis by this test method are as follows:
6.1.1 Prepared biomass samples that have been preppedprepared according to Practice E 1757.
6.1.2 Biomass feedstocks, dried at 105°C according to Test Method E 1756,
6.1.3 Pretreated biomass, dried at 105°C according to Test Method E 1756, and
6.1.4 The solids fraction of fermentation residues, dried at 105°C according to Test Method E 1756.
This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E-48 on Biotechnology and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E48.05 on Biomass Conversion.
Current edition approved Oct. 10, 1995. Published December 1995.
This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E48 on Biotechnology and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E48.05 on Biomass Conversion.
Current edition approved Nov. 15, 2007. Published January 2008. Originally approved in 1995. Last previous edition approved in 2001 as E 1755-01.
For referencedASTM standards, visit theASTM website, www.astm.org, or contactASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
, Vol 11.05.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.
E 1755 – 01 (2007)
6.2 The test specimen shall consist of approximately 0.5 to 1.0 g of sample obtained in such a manner to ensure that it is
representative of the entire lot of material being tested. For 105°C dried
NOTE 1—All samples containing large particles or chunks, it is recommended that the sampleshould be ground or milled to reduce the size of the large
pieces to less than 1 mm in diameter.The sample is then redried at 105°C prior to testing. Prepared biomass can be used in place of 105°C dried material,
but the mass of the material must be corrected for its moisture content by using Test Method E 1756, prior to calculating the ash.
7. Procedure
7.1Mark a pan or crucible with a unique identification using a porcelain marker, place it in the muffle furnace, and bring to
constant mass by igniting at 575 6 25°C. Remove the pan or crucible from the furnace, cool to room temperature in a desiccator,
and weigh to the nearest 0.1 mg. Record this mass as the tare mass,
7.1 Mark a pan or crucible with a unique identification using a porcelain marker, place it in the muffle furnace at 575 6 25°C.
Remove the pan or crucible from the furnace, cool to room temperature in a desiccator, and weigh to the nearest 0.1 mg. For an
aluminum pan, two hours of heating at 575 6 25°C will be sufficient to bring the pan to constant mass. With a crucible, however,
the following procedure is used: place the crucible in the furnace at 5756 25°C for 3 h. Remove the crucible and place in a
desiccator. Allow the crucible to cool to room temperature and then weigh the crucible to the nearest 0.1 mg. Record this mass.
After weighing, return the crucible to the furnace for1hat575 6 25°C, cool again in the desiccator, and reweigh. Repeat this
step until the mass of the crucible varies by less than 0.3 mg from the previous weighing. Record this final mass as the crucible
tare mass, m . Keep the pan or crucible in a desiccator until used. Note1—For an aluminum pan, two hours of heating at 575
cont
6 25°C will be sufficient to bring the pan to constant mass. With a crucible, however, the following procedure is used: place the
crucible in the furnace at 5756 25°C for 3 h. Remove the crucible and place in a desiccator. Allow the crucible to cool to room
temperature and then weigh the crucible to the nearest 0.1 mg. Record this mass.After weighing, return the crucible to the furnace
for1hat575 6 25°C, cool again in the desiccator, and reweigh. Repeat this step until the mass of the crucible varies by less than
0.3 mg from the previous weighing. Record this final mass as the crucible tare mass, m .
cont
7.2 Weighapproximately0.5to1.0g,tothenearest0.1mg,ofatestspecimenintothetaredpanorcrucible.Ifthesamplebeing
analyzed is a test specimen dried at 105°C, the sample should be stored in a desiccator until use. For a 105°C dried test sample,
recordthemass(containerplussamplemass)astheinitialmass, m .ForpreparedbiomasssamplespreppedaccordingtoPractice
od
E 1757, record the mass (container plus sample mass) as the initial mass, m .
ar
NOTE 2—For prepared biomass samples, it is recommend that samples for moisture determination should be weighed out at the same time as the
samples for the ash determination. If this is done at a later time it can introduce an error in the calculation because ground biomass can rapidly gain or
lose mo
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