Cover Image: June 2009 Scientific American Magazine See Inside

Bamboo Boom: Is This Material for You? [Preview]

It's not just for tiki torches anymore, but does this wood substitute really make for greener floors, clothing and other products?














Share on Tumblr



Image: CREATIV STUDIO HEINEMANN/GETTY IMAGES

Daniel Smith remembers when he first tried to sell a bamboo floor. The San Francisco entrepreneur thought his woodlike product was attractive and durable, but when he took samples to a Dallas trade show in 1994, the reaction wasn’t quite what he had hoped for. No one believed the plant’s round stalks—then most familiar in the U.S. as the stuff of backyard torches—could be turned into a smooth, lasting floor.

“One architect said to me, ‘I appreciate that you’re at the cutting edge of design and development, but I don’t want to be cut by that edge,” Smith says.


Buy This Issue
If your institution has site license access, enter here.

14 Comments

Add Comment
View
  1. 1. delporto 07:59 PM 6/10/09

    Timber bamboo grows well in the USA in southern climates, so it need not be imported. Treated wastewater can grow bamboo and energy biomass crops when piped and irrigated on barren land such as the 50 million plus acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management. This new Green Paradigm resolves both water pollution and structure and energy issues with one integrated program.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  2. 2. realgreengoods 07:55 AM 6/19/09

    It's important to know the supply chain when you are selling and promoting products. Clearly, they are not created equal, particularly in bamboo.
    www.realgreengoods.com

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  3. 3. redahi 11:57 PM 6/19/09

    I didn't see anything about the fumigation of imports from China. These toxics are ozone depleting. And, anything porous will continue to outgas the chemicals for an unknown amount of time, thus adding to the toxic indoor air quality.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  4. 4. saredo 06:24 AM 6/20/09

    From the Bam-Boo tree of TS Eliot to bamboo boom of today

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  5. 5. LeaderofMen 08:32 AM 6/21/09

    Altho hemp can't necessarily be used as a flooring product in the same manner as bamboo, it can be used right this second to replace all paper in the US, can be made into clothing, oil, medicinal products, animal feed, etc. Its use would be carbon neutral. Unfortunately, fundamentalist Christians along with multi-national paper companies have made this green solution untenable. US policy against the growing of hemp has its origin in their arguments. Look it up. It is a matter of public record.

    Hemp doesn't need to be imported. It is pest resistant, uses little water and can be grown anywhere. It is a weed. It is perfect for North America. Our society is seriously mentally ill with respect to hemp.

    Hemp was once the second largest cash crop in the US before the early 20th century (tobacco was #1). Until we remove the blinders from our view of the world we will continue to pursue incorrect, expensive and unsustainable solutions to problems that vex us. HEMP NOW.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  6. 6. Kalikat35 11:18 AM 6/22/09

    The image you are using is of "Lucky Bamboo" which isn't a bamboo at all but a Dracaena and its use isn't related to the contents of the article.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  7. 7. Tennessee Bambusero 03:08 PM 7/18/09

    Generally a good article, however one statement is worth clarifying carefully. The statement is that bamboo requires little fertilizer, water, and pesticides. I have been a bamboo researcher for just over 30 years now (I'm not done) and my observation that while grasses in general, including bamboo, can endure with very little nutrition or water, if the material is harvested and exported from the site, a depletion exists that will eventually impact the quality and quantity and possibly even the survivability if it gets bad enough. All grasses are also known to be very nutrition (fertilizer) responsive so if one wants to maximize the quality and quantity of bamboo produced in a given area, it is very important to optimize both fertility and water availability (i.e. supplements during a drought). As for the pesticides, the only bamboo pests that have thus far made it into the U.S. are of little economic significance causing only cosmetic damage. If the U.S. becomes a major bamboo grower, as probably needs to come about, then we will eventually have the evolution of pests that attack bamboo. But all crops have these pests and we just have to adjust our procedures and expectations accordingly. After all this, the fact remains that bamboos are the fastest growing group of plants on the planet and have an amazing degree of versatility in use. These two facts together should make most negative arguments annoyances rather than obstacles. We have a major paper entitled "Earth Healing with Bamboo" that we would be happy to send you without charge if you like. But we would need a response before we would presume. Thanks again for a pretty good article.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  8. 8. llizarraga in reply to Tennessee Bambusero 11:43 AM 7/21/09

    Would you send me, please, a copy of that paper? If possible send a copy to llizarraga@cableonda.net and luis@panamarealparadise.com
    Thanks for your ideas. Regards. Luis Lizarraga

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  9. 9. alku in reply to Tennessee Bambusero 03:46 AM 12/16/09

    I am extremely interested in the paper you've mentioned. I am a small scale clothing manufacturer in Canada who uses some bambo viscose fabric (although now I need to ask my supplier if the fibers are cooked in a closed-loop process or not!) and I have many questions...

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  10. 10. sylvan 04:51 AM 1/1/10

    Please send me a copy of this paper. If possible send a copy to sylvan.oehen@bluewin.ch
    Thanks for your ideas. Regards. Sylvan

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  11. 11. Earthbank 06:27 PM 6/12/10

    If you are receiving this, pls send a copy of "Earth Healing with Bamoo" from Tennessee Bambusero much appreciated outside of Oaxaca, Mexico at the sustainable ecovillage project: http://www.tierradelsol.com.mx pablo@tierradelsol.com.mx

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  12. 12. joepvg in reply to Tennessee Bambusero 12:12 PM 6/18/10

    Could you please send me the paper entitled "Earth Healing with Bamboo". I am very much interested in the benefits of using Bamboo and the way to do it sustainably. Thanks you in advance! My email address is joepvg<a>gmail.com

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  13. 13. joepvg 12:13 PM 6/18/10

    Please send me a copy of the paper entitled "Earth Healing with Bamboo".
    Thanks in advance! Joepvg<a>gmail.com

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  14. 14. klucas42 11:01 AM 8/10/11

    I would also like a copy of that paper. Please send it to kevinlucas42@gmail.com. Thanks!

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
Leave this field empty

Add a Comment

You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmerican.com member to submit a comment.
Click one of the buttons below to register using an existing Social Account.

More from Scientific American

See what we're tweeting about

Scientific American Editors

Tweets could not be retrieved at this time

Free Newsletters


Get the best from Scientific American in your inbox

Solve Innovation Challenges

Powered By: Innocentive

  SA Digital
  SA Digital

Science Jobs of the Week

Email this Article

Bamboo Boom: Is This Material for You?: Special Editions

X
Scientific American MIND iPad

Tap into your MIND

Get Both Print & Tablet Editions for one low price!

Subscribe Now >>

X

Please Log In

Forgot: Password

X

Account Linking

Welcome, . Do you have an existing ScientificAmerican.com account?

Yes, please link my existing account with for quick, secure access.



Forgot Password?

No, I would like to create a new account with my profile information.

Create Account
X

Report Abuse

Are you sure?

X

Institutional Access

It has been identified that the institution you are trying to access this article from has institutional site license access to Scientific American on nature.com. To access this article in its entirety through site license access, click below.

Site license access
X

Error

X

Share this Article

X