Liquefaction of bamboo shoot shell for the production of polyols

Abstract Bamboo ( Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro ) shoot shell (BSS) was liquefied in polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) and ethylene glycol (EG) catalyzed by sulfuric acid under atmospheric pressure. The effects of liquefaction conditions such as liquid–solid ratio, temperature, time, catalyst, solvents ratio, and material size on the liquefaction yield of BSS have been investigated. Methods including Elemental analysis, Thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were selected to analyze the characteristics of products in three fractions: an aqueous fraction (AQ), an acetone-soluble fraction (AS) and a residue (RS), respectively. Results showed that the highest liquefaction percentage was 99.79% under the optimal conditions (liquid–solid ratio 6:1; temperature 150 °C; reaction time 80 min; raw size more than 40 mesh; catalyst mass percentage of solvent 4%; solvent volume ratio 3:1). Polyols could be obtained effectively by the liquefaction of BSS, an agricultural by-product.