Bamboo’s Role in Carbon Sequestration and Sustainable Construction

The Kempegowda Story

Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal 2 in Bangalore, India opened in November 2022.

Engineered bamboo, in the form of round tubes, was used throughout the terminal as a visually appealing biobased material. 

This choice helped avoid over 5000 tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to driving 42 million kilometers in an average car or completing 1000 laps around the Earth’s equator.

The terminal was designed with a focus on sustainability, incorporating six key principles:

  • responsible water usage, 
  • zero carbon emissions, 
  • community-aligned noise management, 
  • circular economy, 
  • sustainable procurement, and 
  • sustainable mobility.

Three Ways Bamboo Helps with Carbon Sequestration

  1. Bamboo forests and plantations store carbon in the ecosystem above and below ground.
  2. Carbon is stored in durable or harvested bamboo products, and can be used in building materials.
  3. Replacing materials like concrete and unsustainably sourced hardwood with bamboo helps to avoid carbon emissions.

The Carbon Storage Capability of Bamboo Ecosystems

  • Conservative estimate of 35 million hectares of bamboo ecosystems worldwide, with potential for much higher numbers
  • Contains between 94-392 tonnes of carbon per hectare (tC/ha), depending on species, soil conditions, geography, and other factors
  • Comparable to tree plantation ecosystems and exceeds grasslands or pastures in carbon capture
  • Can help achieve the twin aims of carbon storage and soil restoration as pioneer reforestation crops on degraded land
Bamboo ecosystems94–392 tC/ha
Guadua 156 tC/ha
Moso168 tC/ha
natural forest ecosystems126–699 tC/ha
tree plantation ecosystems85–429 tC/ha
grasslands or pastures70–237 tC/ha

Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Material

  • Bamboo can be harvested sustainably within 3-7 years without the need to replant.
  • Building materials made from bamboo contribute to carbon sequestration through “construction stored carbon”.
  • Bamboo is an alternative to emissions-intensive traditional building materials like concrete, steel, and aluminum.

Bamboo in Sustainable Construction

  • Growing demand for sustainable building materials in areas with abundant bamboo resources.
  • Governments in these areas are encouraging the use of biobased materials like bamboo in construction.
  • Bamboo fulfills a unique niche in reforestation efforts on degraded land.