Authors：Sun-Wen Juan, Chi-Sheng Wang, Jin-Cherng Huang, Ya-Nan Wang

Year：2014

Key words：ma bamboo, liquefaction, hydrogen production, thermal plasma steam reforming

Major components of bamboo are solid hydrocarbons in the forms of cellulose, hemicellulose,
lignins, and pentosan. The abundance of hydrocarbons indicates the potential of bamboo to be
an excellent raw material to produce hydrogen. In this study, 1-yr-old ma bamboo
(Dendrocalamus latiflorus) was liquefied with polyethylene glycol and then treated with plasma
steam reforming to produce hydrogen. Productivity levels of hydrogen at different bamboo concentrations and pyrolysis temperatures were experimentally and theoretically studied. The liquefaction and pyrolysis apparatuses were hence optimized. A maximum productivity occurred
at a weight ratio of 1: 10 of ma bamboo to water and a pyrolysis temperature of 800℃ by plasma treatment.