The Green Gold of the Future.
Bamboo
Bamboo is called green gold because it is becoming increasingly more valuable in the global economy. Along with the variety of uses it can be put to, it is highly renewable, sustainable, and easy to grow.
Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing and versatile up-and-coming renewable resources.
As people, businesses, and nations start to look for more eco-friendly options, they are turning to bamboo, and it is developing a reputation for being a lucrative crop.
To fully understand why bamboo is called green gold, you must first understand what bamboo is, what it can be used for and why it is becoming the go-to material for many products.
What is bamboo?
Although bamboo is often used as a substitute for wood in the production of many products, it is not a tree. Bamboo is technically a grass, and it grows in a very similar manner to the grass that grows on our lawns. It uses a system of connected roots so that if one of the pieces is cut down, it will continue to produce more shoots.
One of the most amazing features of bamboo is the speed with which it grows. It is the fastest-growing plant in the world. It can grow approximately 35 inches per day, and it can reach heights well over 100 ft.
Walking through a bamboo forest is a beautiful ethereal experience as you are surrounded by tall thin culms with a leafy canopy overhead, and everything feels lush and green.
There are over 1,000 species of bamboo with many growing well across a variety of climates, but the majority of bamboo grows in tropical and subtropical regions.
What is bamboo used for?
Bamboo, once known as the poor man’s timber, is now being referred to as green gold because of the increasing global demand for it. This is because innovative methods of processing bamboo are being used to create timber-like building materials. But construction is not the only area where bamboo shines.
Bamboo can be made into furniture, cooking utensils, cutlery, plates, bowls, activated charcoal, clothes and other fabric materials, yarns, and even biofuel.
Not only that but bamboo shoots are a healthy and hearty addition to any meal. Does it beg the question is there anything bamboo can’t do?.
Bamboo in Construction
Bamboo is great for use in construction. It is very similar to wood, and it has more tensile strength than steel. Those not used to using bamboo in construction might be a little wary of using the fragile-looking culms, but bamboo is actually very strong.
In North America, the most common use of bamboo is in flooring. Bamboo flooring has become very popular due to its eco-friendliness.
However, in Asian countries, bamboo is widely used in building all sorts of structures including houses. These homes are mostly simple structures, but bamboo’s potential far exceeds them.
Bamboo as cloth or yarn
Bamboo can make cloth and yarn that is incredibly soft. Most bamboo cloth is made using a chemical process that involves turning bamboo fibers into regenerated cellulose fiber.
A mechanical process that is more environmentally friendly can also be used to turn bamboo into fiber.
The bamboo cloth made with the mechanical process is created by crushing the leaves and inner pith of the bamboo, applying an enzyme, and then combing out the natural fibers of the bamboo which is then spun into a yarn that can then be turned into cloth.
The bamboo cloth can be used to make anything from curtains and sheets to t-shirts and sweaters.
Bamboo as biofuel
AAll parts of the bamboo plant including the culms, leaves, and stems can be processed in such a way that it forms charcoal briquets. These briquets can be used as a kind of biofuel. Recently, Ghana has started using Bamboo charcoal technology as a way of providing energy across their country.
In addition, more research is being done on using bamboo and other non-food sources of biofuel to create ethanol that can fuel cars. It is already possible to turn bamboo into ethanol, but the process is cost-prohibitive.
Although discoveries are being made and solutions are being searched for to make bamboo ethanol more feasible.
