Bamboo fibre

Bamboo fibre is a cellulose fibre extracted or fabricated from natural bamboo (and possibly other additives) and is made from (or in the case of material fabrication, is) the pulp of bamboo plants. It is usually not made from the fibres of the plant, but is a synthetic viscose made from bamboo cellulose. (In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ruled that unless a yarn is made directly with bamboo fiber — often called “mechanically processed bamboo” — it must be called "rayon" or "rayon made from bamboo".)

Bamboo has gained popularity as a "green" fibre. Manufacturers tout the fact that bamboo can be cultivated quickly, can be used as a cash crop to develop impoverished regions of the third world, and is a natural fibre (as opposed to popular synthetics like polyester) whose cultivation results in a decrease in greenhouse gases.

There may be environmental problems with the cultivation of land expressly for bamboo and the use of harsh chemicals to turn bamboo into usable fibre for clothing.

Bamboo composite and biopolymer construction

There are various approaches to the use of bamboo in composites and as an additive in biopolymers for construction. In this case (as opposed to bamboo fabrics for clothing) bamboo fibers are extracted through mechanical needling and scraping or through a steam explosion process where bamboo is injected with steam and placed under pressure and then exposed to the atmosphere where small explosions within the bamboo due to steam release allows for the collection of bamboo fiber. Bamboo fiber can be in a pulped form in which the material is extremely fine and in a powdered state.