Sugar Production from Bamboo

Bamboo is a nonwoody plant having high potency as a source for biofuel, bioderived biomaterial, and bio-based chemical compounds considering its rapid growth and short harvesting cycles. Bamboo cell walls consist of three major chemical components, including cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, with variation affected by the bamboo species, a method for extraction, geographical condition, growth site, and position in the plant. Of three major components, cellulose has the greatest attention for conversion as a chemical source, such as sugar. Single pretreatment or pretreatment combination has been performed as an initial stage in the conversion of bamboo before hydrolysis cellulose into sugar monomer, i.e., glucose. In the hydrolysis process, some variables might contribute to achieving the sugar yield, including the method for hydrolysis and process condition (enzyme, surfactant addition, chemical, and structure of pretreated bamboo). This paper was intended to report recent progress on the pretreatment method, hydrolysis method, and its variable that contributed to the sugar yield, pretreatment result, and sugar analysis. Understanding the detailed potency of bamboo as the chemical source and techniques in production as sugar production will create the process condition needed for achieving effective application of sugar from bamboo. According to prior research studies, the chemicals and materials derived from bamboo have wide applications in different areas such as a good alternative to other woody plants for biofuel purposes.