Methane production from steam-exploded bamboo.

To convert unutilized plant biomass into a useful energy source, methane production from bamboo was investigated using a steam explosion pretreatment. Methane could not be produced from raw bamboo but methane production was enhanced by steam explosion. The maximum amount of methane produced, i.e., about 215 ml, was obtained from 1 g of exploded bamboo at a steam pressure of 3.53 MPa and a steaming time of 5 min. A negative correlation between the amount of methane produced and the amount of Klason lignin was observed in the methane fermentation of steam-exploded bamboo.