Bamboo plants not only absorb greenhouse gases, but also release large amounts of phytoncide, benefitting the human body.
(image: National Institute of Forest Science)
DAEJEON, May 1 (Korea Bizwire) — A single hectare of bamboo forest (6,200 plants) can absorb 35.5 tons of carbon dioxide every year, a recent study has revealed.
The National Institute of Forest Science (NiFoS) announced Wednesday that bamboo plants excel at absorbing carbon dioxide, even more so than Korean red pines (9.7 tons), sawtooth oaks (16.5 tons), and cherry trees (9.5 tons).
A single bamboo plant can absorb 5.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide every year, and 922 would be enough to absorb carbon emissions from a four-person household (4.98 tons).
In South Korea, bamboo forests cover roughly 22,000 hectares of land, enough to absorb emissions from 150,000 households consisting of four members.
Bamboo plants not only absorb greenhouse gases, but also release large amounts of phytoncide, benefitting the human body.
They are used in skin care cosmetic products, traditional furniture, landscaping and interior design, and by the tourism industry.
“Bamboo not only absorbs carbon dioxide, but produces three or four times more biomass than other trees every year,” said Son Yeong-mo, head of the NIFoS Forest Biomaterials Research Center.
“The bioenergy they produce is expected by many to replace fossil fuels.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
