ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Bamboo can clean the CO2 in the air, absorb the sewage water, removes heavy metals, stop soil erosion, increase water holding capacity of the soil and reduce the particle matter in air.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
It is fascinating how simple things in nature create a significant impact. They say nature heals itself. Bamboo is one of the healing products that we can say that nature has produced to substitute various polluting activities done by humans. Like a banana plant where every single part of it can be put to use, bamboo or Bambusa is also one such natural product whose tip to bottom is used for various things.
Speaking of how Bambusa cures the planet and the environment, there are so many aspects of it that make a huge difference in making the environment clean and green. Understanding its value and use can help us opt for sustainable choices.
BAMBOO AND NATURE
Atmosphere and Bamboo – Bamboo is an excellent plant that can aid in cleaning polluted air. Of the various benefits that it offers, one of the crucial things is the cleaning of CO2. Bamboo has the ability to remove trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde from the air that is some of the harmful elements for a human body to inhale.
Besides it also adds back moisture to the air. It also eliminates other toxic elements like carbon monoxide, xylene and chloroform. Bamboo as a house plant is an excellent option to keep the environment calm and clean. Bamboo being one of the fastest-growing plants is a great choice to keep a balance between O2 and CO2 in the atmosphere. It is found that a grove of bamboo can release 35% more oxygen than the same number of other trees growing there.
Wastage and Bamboo – Bamboo is known for the fibrous system that is inbuilt in it. The ability to absorb a high amount of water makes it an excellent choice of Phyto-depuration. The porous structure of it makes it easier for this plant to take in all the impurities from water. Besides, the plant is rich in minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium. In the process of purifying the water, it also infuses these minerals enriching the water. Bamboo charcoal can be used as a natural filter in purifying water. Bamboo water has the highest source of silica. Due to these abilities, it is also considered a good scavenger crop.
Soil and Bamboo – Bamboo is a great option to enrich the soil in a particular area. The leaves that are shed by the plants decompose at a faster rate and enriches the soil with organic content. It reduces the PH level in the ground and minimises the alkali and the soil bulk density. Bambusa is known for restoring degraded soil by bringing back a better quality of minerals to it. It also stops soil erosion and keeps soil moisture in that area.
For the rich composition that it has, it keeps the soil active by helping build better microbial communities and power enzymatic activities. Bamboo is planted alongside the coastal sandy areas of China in its southeastern parts to restore and protect the coastal ecosystem. The soil in a bamboo grove will have richer contents of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and alkali.
On the other hand, there will be a lesser pH level in the soil. Since bamboo is exceptionally adaptable to various soil types and climate, it is a great option to restore degraded soil in multiple parts.
Carbon Sink
Trapping Of Carbon
How bamboo balances itself as a part of this ecosystem is really interesting. It is one of the fastest-growing plants on this planet and has the highest ability to clean the air. It takes in carbon dioxide at a higher rate than any other plant and lets our clean oxygen that supports life system. One Beema Bamboo can take in 420kg of CO2 from the atmosphere every year.
The rate at which we are consuming fossil fuels and its components and by-products, it is only imperative to grow more bamboo forests to help clean the CO2 released from the soil by burning these fossil fuels.
Thus, bamboo makes a notable impact on our environment by restoring the air quality and supporting all life systems on this planet.
BioCarbon Capture
BioCarbon capture is when bamboo is specially grown to capture the carbon content from the atmosphere. It is a solution for all the carbon released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels for various sources of energy. Carbon is captured from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis.
A bamboo groove can release an abundance amount of oxygen and take in as much carbon dioxide back in. A per acre bamboo can absorb up to 80 tons of carbon dioxide every year. An ideal amount enough for an average human to breathe in, in his life span. Bamboo can be cultivated for over a hundred years and hence there is no scarcity of any crop for many years to come now. A single bamboo can produce up to 320kg of oxygen. With such an advantage, planting an eco-park with bamboo grooves can serve as a major air purifier in cities.
BAMBOO FOR RECLAMATION OF SODIC SOIL
Salinization of soils and groundwater is a serious land degradation problem in arid and semi-arid areas and is increasing steadily in many parts of the world. Biodrainage involves the planting of salt-tolerant and fast-transpiring trees to pump out the excess water and dissolved salts.
Bamboo plantation increases soil hydraulic conductivity, improves the physical properties of the soil, increases in soil organic matter content, porosity, water retention, structural stability and organic matter content of soil.
The rapid growth and the strong root systems make bamboo particularly suited for soil remediation. Soil salinity, sodicity and pH decreased significantly in the bamboo field top soil as a result of bamboo leaf shedding. Bamboo cultivation in sodic soil results in the improvement of biogeochemical characteristics of soil by increasing the water holding capacity, and by the addition of organic carbon, nutrients and microflora.
Microbial activity gets enhanced due to the accumulation of humus through decomposition of bamboo leaf litter and root decay. Further, there is also a significant reduction in soil bulk density and increase in porosity, water holding capacity, field capacity, permeability and infiltration rate. The potential extent of the biological rejuvenation of the sodic land is related to the distribution of bamboo roots in the soil profile. To obtain better results, suitable bamboo species as per the local climate should be selected in order to provide maximum and constant litter mulch throughout the year. This, in turn, would protect the land from desiccation. Thus, un-utilized waste sodic lands could be rehabilitated effectively to restore degraded environments through planting bamboo.
Planting Bamboo in a sodic soil needs special care and planning since bamboo cannot grow straight away in a Sodic Soil. One has to plan the plantation technique in advance in consultation with Soil Scientist or with our scientist as per the specific soil test report, soil profile and quality of irrigation water.
GUTTATION BAMBOO
Guttation is the process of sending back the water taken by the plant to the atmosphere when it is in excess. Bamboo, like other vascular plants, ooze out excess water through its leaves to send it back to the environment. When bamboo takes in excess water from the atmosphere, it releases it through its leaves. As much as 4000 and odd droplets form on each leaf per minute to let it out in the atmosphere through transpiration.
This is done when there are open pores and stomata exposed to the sunlight. However, by dawn, there is hardly any sunlight, and so it becomes difficult for this process. And so as a compensation, during the nights, the moisture from the soil enters into the plant and pushes the existing water content to seep out through leaves from its tips. Bamboo thus does a great job in balancing the water content by circulating it in the atmosphere.
TORREFIED BAMBOO
There has been increasing interest in the combustion of coal and biomass but the difference in combustion characteristics of biomass makes it difficult for some of the boilers to handle raw biomass for fuel. Torrefaction is a valid way to improve the properties of raw biomass for thermal conversion which alters biomass into a fuel more like coal.
Torrefaction is a process in which biomass is converted into torrefied bamboo by heating at a temperature of 300c for one to two hours in a specially constructed kiln. The torrefied bamboo is enhanced with higher heating value, energy yield, energy density and reduction in volatile gases. It retains the rain water
Bamboo has fibrous root system that grows up to a depth of 2 to 2½ from the ground surface. In a matured bamboo plantation of 4-5 years’ old, the root covers almost the entire soil section to an extent of 30-40% of the soil, the roots create anywhere between 200 to 400 mm of water. The excess water either goes as a runoff or charges the ground below, whereby increases the natural water table over a period of time.
BAMBOO FOR COFIRING
Bamboo biomass can replace coal, either partially or completely. When the coal is replaced partly with bamboo biomass, it is cofiring of coal and bamboo that reduces the cost, CO2 emission, SOX and NOX emission.
Cofiring is sustainable and moves towards renewable energy. Cultivated bamboo as energy plantation and used at the age of one year doesn’t have ash deposition issues, corrosion, pollutant emission and short supply of biomass fuel.
Cofiring biomass residues with coal in traditional coal-fired boilers for electricity production or in cement production generally represents one of the most cost-effective and efficient renewable energy options for adoption of climate change technology, which doesn’t need additional investment.
Generally, the operation cost is typically higher for biomass than for coal. But in the case of Beema Bamboo cultivation as energy crop, the cost of biomass is less, effectively reducing the operation cost apart from reducing the pollution.
There are many power projects, cement manufacturing factories, mineral processing plants exploring the cofiring option. One must consider the existing boiler’s design and the firing process to decide the percentage of bamboo biomass for cofiring. Similarly, based on the agroclimatic condition, soil test report, water test report and water availability, one must choose the right bamboo species and design the cultivation method.
NATURAL BARRIER OF SOIL
Soil salinization has become a problem of many regions. This mainly happens as a result of management practices. Of many methods used to understand and curtail the happening of this problem, one of the major aspects is the use of bamboo. Bamboo can be used as an effective biodrainage that helps transpirate excess water and salt content from the soil. This is because bamboo is salt-tolerant. The best benefits of having this practice in place is that.
- Bamboo improves soil hydraulic conductivity
- Enhances soil properties physically
- Enriches soil by improving the organic content in it
- Replenishes soil water table by boosting water retention
- Makes the soil porous for better growth of plants
- Bamboo leaves shed and reduce the soil salinity and sodicity
- Improves the biochemical characteristics due to improved water retention
Biodrainage can be more effective when the right species is chosen for the right area thus making it easier to harvest and cultivate. Studying the soil and properly planning the area for cultivation can prove to give better benefits for this process.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRODUCTION
We have about 1200 sq. ft. area of wet lab facilities and 1 acre of nursery. Our total manpower is 8 consisting of 4 LAF operators with the production capacity of 2 lakhs plants per annum. The lab facility includes a sterile media zone, inoculation room, well-equipped growth room and washing area. As a small-scale available infrastructure, we produce and marketed high quality planting materials in three bamboo species namely Bambusa balcooa, B. tulda and B. cacharensis. So far, we have produced around 10 lakhs plants and supplied to Tripura bamboo mission of North East and private buyers from the state of Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The farmers of the above state are benefited by the cultivation of Bamboo for their livelihood
Bamboo for Green Highway
Carbon Neutral road
Vehicles moving on the highways derives energy from fuel by burning that converts one litre of fuel into 2.2 kg of CO2 on an average. The CO2 emitted can be absorbed by planting rows of Beema Bamboo on either side of the road. Bamboo as carbon sink plantation on either side of the road is a will keep on sequestering the CO2 emission from the road, making it a "CARBON NEUTRAL ROAD". Growing trees on both sides of the roads are a common practice but most of the trees planted are slow growing and hence slow carbon absorption. Beema Bamboo being the fastest growing plant is able to clean up the CO2 faster.
By planting a required number of fast-growing Beema Bamboo plants, we can make a road carbon neutral, which means the emission of CO2 by vehicle is proportionate to the amount of CO2 absorbed by the tree on both sides of the road. The carbon neutral road leaves no carbon footprint for the global warming and it will be one of the first step to make the country free from global warming. When one travels on a carbon neutral road, the fresh air picked up from the road during travel time shall have good level of oxygen as compared to regular roads with high level of CO2. Other than making the road carbon neutral, planting bamboo on both sides would provide excellent tunnelling effect and reduces the noise pollution, especially in roads passing through reserve forest with wild life.
Carbon Neutral road
CONCEPT:
Grow Bamboo on both sides of the road as green belt. The harvested bamboo is processed to produce BioCNG and dispensed in the highway.
PRINCIPLE:
The newly developed bamboo clone by name "Beema" is an excellent carbon sink, grows 1½ feet a day, producing biomass with 4,000 Kcal energy which is used a raw material for BioCNG generation. The variety is highly suitable to grow in all parts of India on the road sides. Harvested bamboo from 100 km on both sides is processed to produce 16.5 lak kgs of BioCNG/year.
PROCESS:
Growing of Bamboo on Roadside:
Bamboo is planted in rows on both sides of a road at a close spacing and harvested from 3 years. It is grown as irrigated tree, with drip irrigation and fertigation. The green corridor is established with fast growing thick wall bamboo species with no thorns, with higher cellulose content. The bamboo is harvested partially and annually for the production of Bio-Energy.
Among many avenue trees for the roadside, bamboo is a better alternative for a simple reason that it establishes and grows faster, sequesters highest level of carbon dioxide, regenerates and remains for several years and is effectively used for production of fuel such as BioCNG, Bio-Ethanol and even Bio-Oil.
BAMBOO CO2
Bamboo can clean the CO2 in the air, absorb the sewage water, remove heavy metals, stop soil erosion, increase water holding capacity of the soil and reduce the particle matter in air. Due to the fact that Bamboo sequester highest Carbon, it cleans up the atmosphere from the carbon dioxide generated due to burning of non-renewable energy resources such as coal and oil for the benefit of human kind.
Bamboo being the fastest growing plant utilizes huge quantity of carbon dioxide by the process of photosynthesis. Bamboo has 50% carbon in all its parts which is a result of carbon sequestration by bamboo. In a year fully matured Beema Bamboo sequesters Carbon Dioxide of over 450 Kgs per tree and reduces the level of carbon dioxide in an Environmentally sustainable way. Additionally, at the time of sequestration bamboo releases up to 320 kg of oxygen per tree in a year which is sufficient for one human beings’ breath for the whole year.
Bamboo has a fibrous root system that is shallow and capable of holding 200-400 mm of rain water. The roots are able to assimilate macro and micro nutrients from sewage water and also clean up the heavy metals if any. Thus, bamboo is a good scavenger crop to clean the sewage/ETP water at a low cost and is adding environmental benefit such as reduction in temperature, increase in oxygen, reduction in bad odour and reduction in particulate matter (2.5 PM and 10 PM)
Bamboo leaves keep growing, maturing and shedding on the ground that get decomposed which increases the soil carbon and organic content, reduces the PH in alkaline soil and decreases the soil bulk density. This improves the quality of the soil and restores even the degraded soil.
