Faridah Hanum Ibrahim

Bamboo Biomass: Various Studies and Potential Applications for Value-Added Products

Bamboo being an industrial crop belongs to the family Gramineae, subfamily Bambusiodeae, and grows naturally in many countries including Malaysia. The cultivation of bamboo for commercial purposes in Malaysia is rather limited due to problems in acquiring suitable land for planting, although it has been widely recognized for excellent production of fiber biomass globally. It produces long fibers derived from outer fibrous bark, and has great potential in the biocomposite industries. In other countries like China and Japan, the plantation of bamboo is common and utilized for many purposes including the production of fiber. Usually, the extraction of fiber from bamboo is done in 3–4-year-old bamboo plantations. Fiber is produced through alkaline hydrolysis and multiphase bleaching processes of bamboo stems and leaves followed by chemical treatments of starchy pulp generated during the process. Bamboo fiber has micro-gaps, which makes it softer than cotton and increases its capability to absorb moisture. Other interesting properties of bamboo fiber are highly elastic, bacteriostatic, antifungal, antibacterial, hypoallergenic, hydroscopic, natural deodorizer, resistant to ultraviolet light, and biodegradable which render the bamboo fiber products environmentally friendly. Furthermore, it is highly durable, stable, and tough and has substantial tensile strength. Due to its versatile properties, bamboo fibers are used mainly in textile industry for making garments, bathrobes, and towels. The plants possess a wider range of adaptation to diverse climatic and soil conditions, and due to its rich cellulose content compared to other plants it has been widely utilized for the production of many products. Thus, it is important to gather and document useful information of its properties and a wide range of products it produces.

Nitrate and Nitrogen Oxides: Sources, Health Effects and Their Remediation

Increased use of nitrogenous (N) fertilizers in agriculture has significantly altered the global N-cycle because they release nitrogenous gases of environmental concerns. The emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes to the global greenhouse gas accumulation and the stratospheric ozone depletion. In addition, it causes nitrate leaching problem deteriorating ground water quality. The nitrate toxicity has been reported in a number of studies showing the health hazards like methemoglobinemia in infants and is a potent cause of cancer. Despite these evident negative environmental as well as health impacts, consumption of N fertilizer cannot be reduced in view of the food security for the teeming growing world population. Various agronomic and genetic modifications have been practiced to tackle this problem. Some agronomic techniques adopted include split application of N, use of slow-release fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors and encouraging the use of organic manure over chemical fertilizers. As a matter of fact, the use of chemical means to remediate nitrate from the environment is very difficult and costly. Particularly, removal of nitrate from water is difficult task because it is chemically non-reactive in dilute aqueous solutions. Hence, the use of biological means for nitrate remediation offers a promising strategy to minimize the ill effects of nitrates and nitrites. One of the important goals to reduce N-fertilizer application can be effectively achieved by choosing N-efficient genotypes. This will ensure the optimum uptake of applied N in a balanced manner and exploring the molecular mechanisms for their uptake as well as metabolism in assimilatory pathways. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the interrelations which exist in the terrestrial ecosystems between the plant type and characteristics of nutrient uptake and analyze the global consumption and demand for fertilizer nitrogen in relation to cereal production, evaluate the various methods used to determine nitrogen use efficincy (NUE), determine NUE for the major cereals grown across large agroclimatic regions, determine the key factors that control NUE, and finally analyze various strategies available to improve the use efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen.

Proteomics of Bamboo, the Fast-Growing Grass

Bamboo is a vital non-timber plant in the world. Annually, it contributes up to 5 billion US dollars to the forest production. It is one of the fastest-growing plants on the earth. Due to its fast growth and abundant biomass, it is now considered as a good candidate for many important uses including production of biofuels. The feature of its fast growth is under scientific study at various levels. Earlier histological observations revealed that the cell division that occurs in the initial stage of the growth contributed heavily to the rapid growth of bamboo culms, followed by cell elongation during middle and late stages. In the currentOmics era, proteomics is providing a novel dimension to understand the physiological as well as developmental processes in any organism. Currently, we are studying the growth characteristics of bamboo using proteomics as a molecular tool. This chapter discusses some of the latest proteomics studies related to bamboo growth and development.