Bamboo is a versatile plant, needs more research: CP

Nagpur: Prisoners making bamboo mats complained of cuts on their fingers, but were still happy as it reduced their depression and relieved stress, said police commissioner BK Upadhyay on Thursday.

Upadhyay was the chief guest at a symposium on ‘Bamboo: Emerging source of energy for Industries’, organized jointly by the mechanical engineering department of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Bamboo Society of India and VIA at VNIT. The daylong symposium was aimed at solving industrial energy problems with ethanol and invited guest speakers from all over the country.

Talking about the versatility of bamboo, Upadhyay said, “Perhaps it’s the colour of bamboo or its smell that the prisoners were relieved of stress while making mats. Not just it, flute, which is made of bamboo, is also known as a stress buster in music therapy.”

Highlighting the general uses and profitability of bamboo, N Barathi, director of Growmore Biotech Ltd at Hosur in Tamil Nadu, said, “It is the only plant that can be cultivated every two years and doesn’t require much of mending. After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only plant to grow on its own was bamboo. Ingenious methods of using bamboo are now coming up,” he said.

Barathi also spoke about using bamboo to make electricity and produce ethanol. “Electricity generated from bamboo can be as cheap as Rs2.50 per unit. Besides, bamboo has cellulose which can be converted into starch to produce ethanol. India currently uses only 3% of ethanol in its fuel whereas countries like Brazil are using up to 85%,” he added.

Barathi also gave examples of a Pune businessman who set up a station of biogas made from bamboo. “Four kgs of bamboo can give up to one kg biogas. The first of its kind plant has been set up in Pune,” he said.

Present at the symposium were VIA president Ashit Sinha, chairman of VNIT VR Jamdar, director PM Padole and Bamboo Society state chapter chairman Sunil Joshi.