REMOVING HEAVY METALS AND RESINS FROM WOOD CHIPS

A process is provided for pretreating particulate lignocellulosic material to remove heavy metals and resin without any delignification or defibration, which comprises washing particulate lignocellulosic material; compressing the washed material to a solids content of at least 40% to remove absorbed and excess liquid; impregnating the compressed material with an alkaline aqueous solution comprising alkali and at least one of a heavy metal ion complexing agent and a heavy metal ion reducing agent; heating the impregnated material at a temperature within the range from abut 50 DEG to 100 DEG C. for up to approximately 0.75 hour; compressing the pretreated material to a solids content of at least 40%; and separating undiluted liquor squeezed out during the compression, while maintaining conditions during the pretreating such that the pH of the squeezed-out liquor is within the range from about 4 to about 9.5; thereby separating heavy metal ions, resins and alkali-extracted substances in solution in the expressed liquor, but not any lignin.