Proximate Analysis of Bamboo Culm and Wood Carbonized at Low Temperatures: A Comparative Study

Abstract

To obtain basic data for further use of bamboo culms and wood as eco-friendly bioenergy resources, the proximate analysis of Dendrocalamus giganteus, D. asper, Bambusa vulgaris, Gigantochloa apus, Phyllostachys pubescens, Pinus densiflora, and Quercus variabilis carbonized at 200 to 320 °C at 40 °C intervals was undertaken. Proximate analysis of moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, and fixed carbon content was performed according to JIS M 8812 (2004) with 60-mesh carbonized powder. Carbonized bamboo showed higher ash and volatile content than carbonized wood, whereas carbonized wood had a higher fixed carbon content than carbonized bamboo. At all temperatures, giant bamboo had the highest ash content. In bamboo and wood, the ash and fixed carbon contents increased with increasing carbonization temperature, whereas the volatile substances decreased.