Bamboo ideal for removing carbon from atmosphere

Photo credit: SciDevNet

Copyright: Flickr/Wu Zhiyi/World Bank

 

China promises boost to African bamboo expertise

by Keya Archarya

“Bamboo should now become a South-South-North dynamic for climate change initiatives using China’s expertise in managing this sector.” – Hans Friederich, INBAR

Speed read

• Network aims to transfer knowledge about novel products
• Bamboo’s fast growth make it ideal for removing carbon from atmosphere
• Money will come from Chinese fund to fight climate change

China aims to increase Africa’s expertise in novel bamboo products through a new knowledge exchange network, it was announced at the COP 21 summit.

The country plans to team up with African states to start a partnership that would see knowledge about bamboo growth and products, such as bamboo-based biofuels and charcoal briquettes, transferred to other bamboo-growing nations.

The partnership, which was launched at an event on 9 December in Paris, France, will be overseen by INBAR, a China-based intergovernmental organisation that seeks to use bamboo and rattan to reduce poverty and environmental damage.
Part of a 20 billion renminbi (US$3.1 billion) fund that China launched in September to increase South-South cooperation on climate change will be spent on the initiative.

Bamboo’s quick growth and easy care make it ideal for removing carbon from the atmosphere, and being a raw material for biofuel and consumer products, the initiative’s supporters said.

“Bamboo should now become a South-South-North dynamic forclimate change initiatives using China’s expertise in managing this sector,” said Hans Friederich, INBAR’s director-general.

The partnership also plans to include bamboo-growing countries from Asia and Latin America at a later stage, the event heard.

Read the full article: SciDevNet

Warka water by collecting rain, fog and dew

 Photo credit: Google

Warka water structure. Source: Fondazione Maxxi

Bamboo water catcher project misses crowdfunding target

VIDEO : http://youtu.be/WaOU-GQx2TQ

Speed read

• Water moisture collects on the pineapple-shaped bamboo and mesh structure
• Despite missing its Kickstarter target, other potential funders are interested
• But water experts say the technology offers poor value for Africa

Warka water structure – http://reggaerevolution.it/portal/e107_images/newspost_images/warka_water.jpg

EXCERPT

The project started after Vittori’s visit to water-starved parts of Ethiopia in 2012. He designed a pineapple-shaped bamboo and mesh structure on which water from rain, fog and dew collects and drains into a container (see below for a video outlining the design).

The ideas behind Warka Water are used in fog catchers in Chile and Peru. But water experts tell SciDev.Net that this version of the technology is too impractical and expensive to use in Africa.

Vittori envisages mass production of the water towers in Africa. The structure can be assembled by a small team without the need for training. He estimates that each tower would provide 50 to 100 litres of water a day

Read the full article: SciDevNet