Hydrothermal carbonization, an environmental friendly treatment method was employed to pretreat bamboo for hydrochar preparation in the present study. Hydrothermal carbonization could elevate the fuel properties and combustion behavior of bamboo. The combustion kinetic parameters of raw bamboo and hydrochars were calculated by a simple Arrhenius equation based on the thermogravimetric curves. Two distinct zones were observed for raw bamboo and hydrochars. The activation energies of raw bamboo in zone 1 and zone 2 were 109.5 kJ/mol and 46.6 kJ/mol, respectively, in the heating rate of 20 degrees C/min. The activation energy of hydrochar in zone 1 increased at the hydrothermal carbonization temperature under 220 degrees C and then decreased at higher hydrothermal carbonization temperature, due to the decomposition of relative reactive compounds in bamboo, and destruction of cellulose and hemicellulose structures, respectively. The activation energies of hydrochars in zone 2 were among 52.3-57.5 kJ/mol, lower than that of lignin extracted from bamboo. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.