Extractives, holocellulose, α-Cellulose, lignin and ash Ccntents in cultivated tropical bamboo gigantochloa brang, G. levis, G. scortechinii and G. wrayi

This paper studied the chemical composition of cultivated 3 year-old tropical bamboo Gigantochloa
brang, G. levis, G. scortechinii and G. wrayi especially in the extractives, holocellulose, α-cellulose, lignin and ash
contents. The comprehensive knowledge of the chemical components in the bamboo species will facilitate the use of
the materials in the forestry industrial sector and help to enhance their utilization in the chemical and bio-chemical
related industry. The chemical compositions in cultivated 3 year-old bamboo culms of these species were studied.
The chemical compositions of bamboo were determined in accordance with the standards outlined in TAPPI test
methods. The culms exhibited different chemical composition in the contents of extractives, holocellulose, α-
cellulose, lignin and ash between the bamboo species, location in the culms and position at the nodes and internodes.
The extractives content of G. brang, G. levis, G. scortechinii and G. wrayi were 8.30, 9.23, 8.00 and 8.62%,
respectively. The holocellulose content for G. levis were 85.08%, G. wrayi 84.53%, G. brang 79.94% and
G. scortechinii 74.62%. The α-cellulose were higher in G. brang (51.58%), followed by G. scortechinii (46.87%),
G. wrayi (37.66%) and G. levis (33.80%). The lignin contents were higher in G. scortechinii (32.55%), G. wrayi
(30.04%), G. levis (26.50%) and lowest in G. brang (24.83%). The ash content were 2.83% in G. scortechinii,
2.83% in G. levis, 1.29% in G. brang (1.25%) and 0.88% in G. wrayi.