In this study with Bambusa vulgaris Schrad, a new process of bamboo utilization was established to produce cellulosic fibers for papermaking and ethanol. The yields of ethanol and cellulosic fibers were determined in function of culm age (1, 3 and 5 years) and portion of sampling in each culm (base, middle and top). The yields of cellulosic fibers, ethanol and compounds like glucose and starch were determined in shreddered chips after treatment with diluted sulphuric acid solution. The combined production of ethanol and cellulosic fibers was feasible technically. The yields of cellulosic fibers varied from 46.85 to 56.04% and ethanol from 12.77 to 14.79 liters/100 kg of chips. They were higher in the middle and top portions of the older culms. This trend was the same for glucose (22.80 to 26.41%) and starch (18.99 to 24.27%) contents. The fibrous fraction yield (69.35 to 76.35%) was higher in younger culms. The basic density of bamboo chips didn't vary in function of the culm age (0.573 to 0.628 g/cm³) but with the portion of sampling (0.518 to 0.683 g/cm³). The denser chips came from the middle and top portions of bamboo culms.
bamboo; Bambusa vulgaris Schrad.; basic density; cellulosic fibers; starch; ethanol