The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of inorganic species in biomass, especially the alkali and alkaline earth metallic (AAEM) species (K, Na, Mg and Ca), on the yield and properties of bio-oil from the pyrolysis of biomass. A mallee wood sample from Western Australia was washed with water and a dilute acid solution to remove its AAEM species. The water-washed and acid-washed mallee wood samples were then pyrolysed in a fluidised-bed reactor at 500 degrees C under fast heating rate conditions. The removal of AAEM species did not result in significant changes in the yields of bio-oil and bio-char. However, the bio-oil properties, e. g. viscosity, were drastically affected by the removal of AAEM species. Our results indicate that the water-soluble AAEM species were not as important as the water-insoluble but acid-soluble AAEM species in influencing the bio-oil composition and properties. It is believed that the acid-soluble AAEM species (especially Ca) were more closely linked with the organic matter in biomass and thus were closely involved in the reactions during pyrolysis. The removal of AAEM species, especially the acid-soluble AAEM species, led to very significant increases in the yields of sugars and lignin- derived oligomers, accompanied by decreases in the yields of water and light organic compounds in the bio-oil. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.