Short-life bamboo lignocellulose is superior-convertible for advanced bioethanol and nanomaterials to decline CO2 emission and environmental impacts

Distinct cellulose nanomaterials are generatable from bamboo undigested residues. • Ultrafine lignin nanoparticles are produceable from undigested lignocellulose. • Graphitic nanocarbon is assembled with a relatively high BET surface area. • Life cycle assessment reveals carbon mitigation and lower environmental impacts. • A green-like strategy is proposed for both bioeconomic and environmental benefits. Efficient utilization of bamboo lignocellulose remains challenging because its recalcitrance limits biomass conversion and utilization. Here, we demonstrate a cascading biorefinery strategy of one-year-old (Y1) bamboo by maximizing bioethanol production and converting all enzymatic residues into high-value nanomaterials. While the global lignocellulose harvest of Y1 bamboo was estimated for boosting sugars and bioethanol production, the enzyme-undigested residues were recycled to generate smaller cellulose nanofibrils and shorter cellulose nanocrystals by 21% and 50%, compared to its raw material and other 3- and 5-year-olds bamboo samples. The ultrafine lignin nanoparticles of Y1 undigested-residues with 92%–96% reduced diameters were subsequently obtained to generate the graphitic nanocarbon with the second largest specific-surface-area at 2865 m 2 g −1 among the most biomass-based carbons as previously reported. The nanocarbon was detected with much higher specific electro-capacitance at 261 F g −1 and consistently higher CO 2 adsorption capacity at 4.3 mmol g −1 . Notably, the 75-year life cycle assessments anticipate total carbon captures from advanced bioethanol and nanomaterials productivity of the Y1 bamboo, which may decline global warming and environmental impacts by replacing petrol-fuels and low-value bioproducts. This study thus demonstrates that short-life bamboo offers multiple recycling advantages for efficient biofuel conversion and effective bioproduct invention associated with the integrative reduction of total CO 2 emissions by cascading lignocellulose utilization and zero-biomass liberation. Download: Download high-res image (214KB) Download: Download full-size image