Bamboo could be a future renewable energy source: Study

Bamboo was discovered by researchers to be a desirable resource in efforts to provide environmentally friendly renewable energy to replace fossil fuels.

The research was published in the journal 'GCB Bioenergy.'

According to the authors, bamboo grows quickly, absorbs carbon dioxide, and emits a lot of oxygen into the atmosphere. They describe a variety of methods for converting raw materials into bioethanol, biogas, and other bioenergy products, including fermentation and pyrolysis. There is now a tool with constraints for selecting the best bamboo species for various bioenergy production procedures.

Researchers found the potential use of bamboo resources in energy systems and energy value-added technology.

"We conducted a review of energy conversion methods for bamboo biomass and found that bioethanol and biochar are the primary products obtained," said first author Zhiwei Liang, of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science.

Zhiwei Liang added, "Since the chemical composition of bamboo varies across different species, future research efforts should focus on gathering a more extensive collection of quantitative data for selecting species advantageous for minimizing biomass pre-treatment time and cost."