Abstract

Within Non-Wood Forest Products, the bamboos are among the most important species. Chile has 11 native species of bamboo that are characterized by its high degree of endemism and solid culms or stems, unlike the majority of the bamboos in the world, which are hollow.

This natural formation of solid culms is present, with different densities, in an area of approximately 3.5 million hectares, 900,000 hectares of which are esteemed to have densities with the potential for industrial use. The greatest concentrations are located between the IX and XI Region. Considering only the Chusquea culeou species, there is an estimated 26 million tons, basis anhydrous, in this zone.

The present use of these formations is generating commerce in the order of $US 1.2 million annually. INTEC-CHILE - FUNDACION CHILE -, altogether with the Austral University, INFOR and a group of private companies executed the project "Integral Development of the Native and Introduced use of the Bamboos," that has allowed to visualize possible promissory uses of the bamboo.

This project, Bamboo Coal and Derived Products Technological and Commercial Development, is born from the aforementioned. The general objective is to develop technological capacities of management and a base of precompetitive information that allows, in the post-project phase, to promote the production and commercialization of coals of bamboo and products derived from the carbonization.

The project will make use of the ability of adsorption of the bamboo coal that gives comparative advantages with respect to other materials. The high porosity that it has reaches a surface of adsorption of 2500 m2 by gram of coal - almost double that of other materials.

The project strives to innovate the use of the bamboo by: identifying and proving the technologies adapted to produce coals from this resource; considering the to two main species of the Chusquea genera; dividing alive and dead material alike; taking advantage of existing equipment in the country; and optimizing the coal production and recovery of derivatives by means of technologies improved in laboratories for their later industrial introduction.

The concretion of the project will generate sources of work in a permanent form in rural areas, use raw materials with or without present alternative uses and validate the native forest.

The project also looks at experimenting with the activated charcoal production by means of physical and chemical methods in the laboratories of processes of Fundación Chile.

The activated charcoals are valued between $US 1,200 and $US 14,000 per ton with multiple uses in the industry: particularly to purify water; deodorize; adsorb gases; bleach; and ionize. All of which is valuable in mining, vitivinicultura, manufacture of filters, cosmetic and several other areas.

The resulting by-product recovery of the pyrolysis of the bamboo is also consulted; analyzing them to determine uses in medicine, agriculture and industry. The project considers the briquette preparation from coal of bamboo and its later qualitative analysis. The properties of the resulting carbon products will be completely analyzed in the coal laboratory of Fundación Chile. The different briquettes types are used as combustible and industrial use, with different forms depending on the final use, with interesting potential markets in Europe.

With the participation of associated companies, some studies of the applications for bamboo coal, in a non-activated state, will be developed. For example, in the scope of the improvement of ground structure, its effect in the stage of the establishment of forest plantations will be determined.

Also, some applications in forest breeding grounds, as much for coal as for the derivatives of the pyrolysis, are contemplated. Those in the textile industry will develop some product prototypes of therapeutic character that are demanded mainly in the Japanese market. Products such as: pillows, blankets and others, which contains a bamboo coal interior that takes advantage of their ionization and adsorption function.

These tests of applications will allow making market trials by means of the shipment of samples to the foreigner and commercial exploration in national stores.

The most appropriate markets will be determined in order to locate different products and by-products from the carbonization of the bamboo as well as the plans of corresponding businesses.

Will be getting technical attendance and cooperation from the International Network of Bamboo and Rattan, INBAR international organism with head office in Beijing, of which Chile is associated.