Effect of Steam Explosion (SE) Pretreatment on the Contamination of Woody Biomass with Metallic Inhibitors

The aim of the study was to develop an optimum method for investigating the change in the content of selected metals in biomass before and after pretreatment by steam explosion. The study included testing the metal content using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) of metals such as chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper and zinc. These metals are considered inhibitors of biological processes occurring during biofuel production such as enzymatic hydrolysis, alcoholic fermentation. In this study, a steam explosion process was carried out on poplar wood biomass at selected temperatures in the range 140°C -205°C. The study found the greatest increase in metal content for materials after SE at 175°C. The significant increase in the accuracy of the determination of metals in the material is influenced by the transfer of the raw material to the liquid state.