Bamboo

Bamboo

[Bambusoideae]

Family
Poaceae

Height
Up to 40 meters. A fast-growing plant, 30-50 cm a day.

Location and climate
Tropical and subtropical climate.

Pollination
Wind and self-pollination like other grass species.

Usage
Due to its strength bamboo is widely used. Construction, water pipes, furniture, bridges, boats, musical instruments, paper, textile, mats, blinds and household containers. Certain parts of the plant are also eatable like the stem inside the stalk and the fresh sprouts. Bamboo textile is becoming very popular due to its sustainable reputation but manufacturing bamboo textile has shown to be harmful to the environment.

In order to manufacture bamboo textile the cellulose of the plant needs to be broken down. This is done using different chemicals including natriumhydroxid (lye), carbon disulfide and other strong acids.

The result is a quality comparable to other cellulose fibers (viscose) The benefit of the bamboo plant is the strength and when your starting point is a strong hard fiber you need more processing in order to gain a soft result.

Summary
Bamboo is a fantastic plant when used for strong lightweight constructions but not for textile. Many other plants are more logical to use for textile than bamboo.