23/10/2026
Scientists successfully converted fast-growing bamboo into a viable oil that could power vehicles – and at an estimated cost of just $2.75 per gallon.
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts have unlocked a promising alternative to traditional petroleum by turning fast-growing bamboo into renewable biocrude oil.
Utilizing hydrothermal liquefaction—a process combining heat, high pressure, and water—the team heated bamboo to 572°F (300°C) for just ten minutes without adding chemical catalysts. In laboratory trials, over 35 percent of the plant's mass converted into an oil-like crude that can be further refined into usable fuel for vehicles, planes, and trains.
Beyond its high yield, bamboo offers major economic and environmental advantages over traditional biofuel feedstocks like corn. Techno-economic projections suggest bamboo-based fuel could achieve a mature commercial production cost of roughly $2.75 per gasoline-gallon equivalent.
Because bamboo grows rapidly in poor soil without displacing food crops, it dramatically reduces carbon emissions—generating up to 26 times fewer greenhouse gases than conventional diesel while requiring only a fraction of the land used by existing ethanol crops.
source: Woodard, T., Cai, C., Walters, J., & Timko, M. (2026). Bamboo-derived biocrude as a sustainable transportation fuel. Sustainable Energy & Fuels.
