Bamboo is viewed as a potential feedstock for the future global energy supply due to the existence
of many significantly fast-growing and abundant species. In this study, ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus
latiflorus) and green bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii) were used as feedstock to produce
pyrolysis liquid (bio-oil) using a fast pyrolysis technology at a pyrolytic temperature of 460℃, and
the basic properties of the bio-oils were analyzed. Results were compared to those of a previous
study, which applied the same procedure to produce bio-oils from thorny bamboo (B. stenostachya)
and long-branch bamboo (B. dolichoclada Hayat). Therefore, this study presents an integrated
characterization of bio-oils from the 4 bamboo species. Results showed that higher heating values
(HHVs) of bio-oils were 5.65 MJ kg-1 for ma bamboo at a moisture content of 44.2% and 9.39 MJ
kg-1 for green bamboo at a moisture content of 43.4%. Both HHVs were relatively lower than those
of thorny bamboo and long-branch bamboo for use as a bioenergy source. Analytical results of gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that the main compounds of bio-oils from
both ma bamboo and green bamboo consisted of similar proportions to those from thorny bamboo,
including a good distribution of phenols, carboxylic acids, and ketones. Only the bio-oil of longbranch
bamboo contained a significant proportion of such compounds, the major one of which was
phenols with a large proportion of > 50%. Generally, these 4 bamboo bio-oils can be utilized as
fuels. The refining technology must be further researched; however, they would be great potential
materials instead of fossil fuel resources to provide various chemical compounds. In particular, the
bio-oil of long-branch bamboo has the greatest potential.