Liquefied dimethyl ether (DME) was used for moisture and bio-crude extraction in 4 common vegetal biomasses. The process removed approximately 81.3-88.7% of the water from these biomasses and yielded 5.8-16.8% bio-crude of dry weight of sample. The properties of the original samples, dewatered bio-solids, extracted bio-crude and removed water were studied by elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. In addition, the oxygen activity of the bio-solids was investigated. The results indicate that both bio-solids and biocrude could be further exploited for energy production and other purposes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.