Fundamental characteristics and humidity control capacity of bamboo charcoal

The regenerative capacity of bamboo is very high and bamboo has been receiving attention from the viewpoint of effective utilization of resources. Recently, bamboo charcoal has been produced everywhere in Japan, in what has become a bamboo charcoal boom. In this study, the fundamental properties of bamboo charcoal, including humidity control capacity after different carbonizing conditions, were compared with those of wood charcoal. The obtained results are as follows; 1) Ash content is about 4 times greater in bamboo charcoal than in wood charcoal. 2) There is a good correlation, regardless of the wood species, between carbonization temperature and electrical resistance, and it is possible to estimate the carbonization temperature in a traditional charcoal kiln. 3) The pH of wood charcoal changes from acid to alkaline with rising carbonization temperature, but the pH of bamboo charcoal maintained its alkalinity regardless of the carbonization temperature. The quantity of ash and potassium content in bamboo charcoal seems to be related to the pH. 4) The humidity control capacity in the high humidity region of bamboo charcoal is better than that of wood charcoal.