Objective The widespread use of petroleum-based non-degradable plastics poses severe environmental issues and threats to human health, making the development of green, sustainable alternative materials a research priority. Bamboo, a rapidly growing and ecologically friendly material, holds significant potential as a sustainable resource. However, it inherently lacks the thermotropic or reactive self-adhesive properties and plasticity characteristic of thermoplastic/thermosetting resins. Existing modification methods suffer from drawbacks such as toxic chemical reagents and insufficient water resistance. This study aims to develop a novel green strategy for preparing bamboo-based plastics, achieving high-value utilization of bamboo components—cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin—to produce bamboo-based plastics with excellent mechanical properties, environmental stability, and biodegradability. This provides an efficient, sustainable, and eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

Method This study draws upon the natural lignification mechanism of trees, employing a three-step synergistic process: delignification modification, sodium periodate-directed oxidation, and cross-linked reconstruction of activated lignin, followed by hot-pressing molding. The material structure and chemical composition were characterized via SEM, FTIR, XPS, XRD, and NMR. Mechanical and water resistance properties were tested according to national standards. Biodegradability and full-life-cycle environmental impacts were assessed using soil burial testing and GaBi software, respectively.

Result (1) After delignification and oxidation, bamboo powder exhibited maximum aldehyde content of 6.67 mmol/g, with disrupted cellulose crystalline structure and significantly enhanced reactivity; activated lignin formed stable hydrogen bond-covalent bond crosslinking networks with oxidized bamboo powder; (2) At 30% activated lignin content, AL-DAF bamboo-based plastic exhibited optimal comprehensive properties: tensile strength 85.44 MPa, elongation at break 18%, Shore D hardness 84, 24 hour water absorption < 5%, and wet tensile strength still reaching 73 MPa, with significantly improved water resistance; (3) 99% UV shielding efficiency in the 200–365 nm band; thermal degradation peak temperature increased by 70.5 °C compared to pure oxidized bamboo powder-based materials; nearly complete degradation after 6 months of soil burial; environmental metrics significantly outperformed traditional petroleum-based plastics in the full life-cycle testing.

Conclusion This strategy effectively addresses the poor plasticity of natural bamboo, achieves high-value utilization of bamboo components, and employs a green, controllable, and easily scalable fabrication process. The resulting material combines excellent mechanical properties, environmental stability, and biodegradability, offering broad application prospects in packaging, daily necessities, and other fields. It demonstrates promising application prospects in fields such as packaging and daily necessities, providing novel insights for the efficient conversion of biomass resources and the development of green, low-carbon material systems.