The major problems associated with the application of high-pressure steam for the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic materials has been the observed destruction of the xylan polysaccharide content, an incomplete disruption of the biomass lignin- carbohydrate matrix and the formation of by-products after the treatment process which inhibit any microbial and enzymatic activities utilised in subsequent down­stream conversion schemes [29]. The production of microbial inhibitors has been mainly attributed to the formation of compounds such as fufural and hydroxymethyl — furfural from the biomass pentoses and hexoses respectively and release acetate from acetyl-group from hemicelluloses during the steam pre-treatment process [13]. This sugar degradation usually occurs as a result of dehydration processes take place with the use of high steam temperatures for the biomass pre-treatment [13]. With these by-products potentially hindering the application of potential biological conversion, detoxification schemes might therefore be required to improve the use of lignocel — lulosic hydrolysates to fuels and chemicals, especially where enzymatic methods are to be applied. The use of water washing as a cheap method to aid the removal of potential inhibitory substances, as well as water soluble hemicelluloses has been discussed in the literature [30]. The use of such a method has however been reported to lead to a decrease in the overall saccharification yields obtained from the steam pre-treatment method, since the soluble sugars (i. e. generated via hemicelluloses hydrolysis) are also removed by the water washing step [9]. Other detoxification techniques, that is, the use of neutralisation and fungal treatments to aid the removal of such potential process inhibitors has also been investigated [31]. Depending on the availability of oxygen in the pre-treatment process, sugar degradation could also occur via pyrolysis (absence of oxygen) and oxidation processes resulting in the thermal decomposition of the organic matter and a partial conversion of the biomass pentoses to carboxylic acids and other by-products [13].