Northeast Forestry University team creates strong bioplastic from bamboo

In China, researchers at Northeast Forestry University have developed a new bioplastic from bamboo that combines renewability with durability and flexibility. The team extracted cellulose from bamboo and using a low-energy, chemical-efficient process. Treatments with deep eutectic solvents and calcium chloride disentangled the cellulose and rebuilt it in a reinforced hydrogel. This hydrogel was then set into a rigid bioplastic using ethanol, locking in a strong structure.

The resulting bamboo bioplastic demonstrated mechanical resilience five times harder than its hydrogel precursor and able to withstand thousands of times more stretching, bending, and shaping forces. Bamboo is an especially sustainable source of bioplastics, as it grows rapidly, requires minimal inputs, and regenerates without replanting.