Physico-chemical and Energy Characteristic of Charcoal Derived from Two (Different) Sarawak Wild Bamboo Species

Abstract

Bamboo has a very rapid growth rate and has been considered a promising non-wood biomass material that has the potential as a feedstock for charcoal production. This study was carried out to elucidate the physico-chemical and energy characteristic of bamboo charcoal produced from two (2) different species which were Aur Kuning Bamboo and Beting Bamboo. Each bamboo was carbonized at a temperature of 300 to 400^oC for a duration of two hours. It was found that the density and volatile matter content of bamboo charcoal have decreased, while the ash content, fixed carbon (FC) content and calorific value (CV) have increased after being converted into charcoal. The results show that Aur Kuning Bamboo has good quality bamboo charcoal in comparison with Beting Bamboo in terms of its FC and CV content. Based on the average value, the FC (82.10%) and CV of Aur Kuning Bamboo (27.23%) were higher than FC (70.42%) and CV (26.05%) of Beting Bamboo with 16.59% (FC) and 4.53% (CV) different. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant effect for different species of bamboo and a significant correlation between physical and energy properties. In conclusion, Aur Kuning Bamboo harvested from Sarawak wild forest has a higher potential to be a feedstock for charcoal production that will be useful for various applications in the near future.