Bamboo as a fuel source

[TeeDee]

I know for homesteaders willow is often cropped and used as a sustainable fuel for woodstoves etc - but what about Bamboo ??

Does it offer similar ( or better/worse ) benefits? Heat gain from burning bamboo? Can Bamboo be turned into charcoal?

 

[Broch]

Good questions, that I can't answer, but does it grow fast enough? As far as I'm aware willow is used because of how quickly it regrows after coppicing, not because it's an excellent firewood. It does, of course, making excellent artist charcoal - I'd be interested to know if bamboo does (not that we have much bamboo up here in the Welsh hills!

 

[GreyCat]

The first question is: what sort of bamboo? There's a lot of variation and types. The word "bamboo" is like "tree," and the properties and size vary massively depending on species.
I grew bamboos for a decade or so (in south Wales). The ones that get proper big are the Phylostachys ("timber bamboo") family. They can grow a huge amount in a year- once established, which can take a while (3-5 years). "First they sleep, then they creep, then they leap." The Phylostachys bamboos are in theory a runner (leptomorph) type, but in the UK climate they normally don't run that far and can be controlled..... but if you're in a warmer/wetter part of the UK you might be surprised when one year they start running......

The leaves can be a great source of fodder, but the culms take a couple of years to "ripen" before being usable. The growth is all high in silica so sharp tools regularly re-sharpened are the way ahead. Splinters are really nasty.

Different species have different properties.... but getting the more practically useful Phylostachys nigra "henonis" or Phylostachys bambusoides (both the species of more ornamental varieties that grow well in UK) is really difficult these days. Other species often have weaker culms, although Phylostachys vivax tends to generate big culms earlier than other species.

Maintenance: it's a different philosophy, you have to manage the roots (rhizome) not the top growth. In fact, control and growing of bamboos is all about understanding the behavour of the rhizome. The reason I got rid of mine is that I'd not been able to root prune them for a couple of years, and the "gardener" we got in ignored advice and top-pruned so they were starting to get out of control.

Also- bamboos only sprout once a year, in spring (usually in May). Mine were evergreen in south Wales and will shrug off snow. However wind- particularly cold or salty wind- will stunt the growth quite a lot.

Much as I enjoyed my bamboos- and they were truly things of beauty- they don't support much native wildlife, they need a specific maintenance regime and to be honest, I think you might get just as much burnable biomass from a Hazel coppice, with a lot less hassle and better wildlife habitat.

GreyCat.

 

[Woody girl]

Bamboo ,from what I remember burning old pea canes is very crackly and pops a lot, possibly due to the stem being hollow capsules. I'm thinking the air when heated expands and causes the canes to split quite violently. Not something I'd try in a woodburner myself.
May be OK on an open fire, but as I burnt the canes in a contained metal garden waste burner (the sort that looks like a metal dustbin with a chimney in the lid, )I couldn't say for sure. As it happens my friend is having her bamboo hedge trimmed next week, so maybe we will try burning a small amount and see how it goes on an open fire outside.

 

[Tantalus]

Pretty sure there is good burning in bamboo, but probably best if split lengthways beforehand and maybe even the pieces bundled into faggots to make for convenience.

That's the problem though, it is rotten stuff to split and handle, the edges are razor sharp.

On an industrial scale I could see it being useful if pelletised for those fancy pellet heaters and boilers but the machinery involved in making the pellets would probably be prohibitive for a smallholder / homesteader.

 

[Woody girl]

It definatly burns! The idea of splitting it would negate the problem of expanding air in the segments , making it explode.
But, as you say, that isn't an easy and safe job. Wearing protective equipment might be a good idea, as it can be razor sharp .
I'm sure many years ago when I had a TV, I watched someone injure themselves badly cutting bamboo on one of bear grylls island survival programmes.
I can't remember if it was the machete or the bamboo that did it, but I certainly would be very careful around cutting and burning the stuff.
Willow, is much gentler on everything, and would be a first choice, but if its the only option, and everything else was gone. That's the only time when I would use it for fuel. But that's my personal choice.

 

[Pattree]

I made my first flutes from bamboo. It used to be invasive in a friends garden.

We used to burn the waste for fun.
If you get a good piece it does a lot more than pop! It can scatter your fire in a briefly interesting way!

 

[Lean'n'mean]

This is my personal experience.
I have a rather large & invasive Bamboo patch (I didn't plant it )& when I'm trying to keep it in check, canes find themselves on a garden bonfire. It takes ages for them to dry & when ready to burn, they need a great deal of heat to get them going. Yes they do pop like gunfire but I wouldn't say they generate a lot of heat & whereas wood continues to burn as the fire dies down, bamboo tends to just fizzle out & when I put the unburnt pieces on the hot embers, they don't burn but just go black but nothing like charcoal.
So I wouldn't recommend bamboo as a fuel source unless there was really nothing else & I certainly wouldn't recommend it as kindling, even if cut into thin strips, though soaked in a flammable liquid might help.

 

[slowworm]

I grow a few different bamboos for edible shoots and canes for the garden. Ours are at the running stage which is good as I can start harvesting them.

I wouldn't have thought there's much useful material in the canes to burn and I find them much more useful around the garden. Old ones seem to contain a fair bit of wildlife and we've seen woodpeckers on them.

I'd second the warning about splinters, I think fresh canes are worse.

 

[Mesquite]

Pros and cons of using Bamboo as firewood

 

[Kadushu]

From what I recall from my time in Thailand, the fuel of choice was eucalyptus despite bamboo being plentiful. As others have said, it's very hard and doesn't burn readily, in fact it's used as a single use cooking vessel over a fire.

 

[GNJC]

As written above, it will burn well if dry, but makes astonishingly loud 'bangs', not sure it would be ideal in a woodburner with any glass in it.

A few years ago I had to burn a lot - we have / had several patches of it - and from not too far away it sounded uncannily like a fire-fight was going on, what with the sudden bursts of a few going 'bang' at once and then singles, doubles etc., reaching a peak and then dying off with sporadic cracks down to nothing. Odd...

 

[GNJC]

Apologies for this, it's a test post because I can't put something up in another thread and want to see it's just there or general...

 

[Chris]

Apologies for this, it's a test post because I can't put something up in another thread and want to see it's just there or general...

That’ll bamboozle people…

 

[forrestdweller]

at least our local bamboo species aren't used as fuel by the locals-- burns hot when dry but doesn't last long + leaves a lot of nasty ashes.... imho there better options for fuel...

 

[SaraR]

.... imho there better options for fuel...

And perhaps more importantly, better uses fo the bamboo!

 

[GNJC]

That’ll bamboozle people…

That was almost unbelievably awful...

 

[Woody girl]

Well friend and I cut her bamboo this afternoon, it's a kind of hedge thing hiding the compost area. Had a chat, and decided against burning any, and filled a builders bag with it all, phoned another friend with a truck and it's gone off to the tip. Let them deal with it! We both agreed it wasn't worth the risk of burning.

 

[forrestdweller]

And perhaps more importantly, better uses fo the bamboo!

indeed-- my current shelter is made from bamboo (with a corrugated iron roof)...

 

[SaraR]

indeed-- my current shelter is made from bamboo (with a corrugated iron roof)...

Sounds lovely! Although I imagine it must be noisy in the rain?