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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Angeles University Foundation

Angeles City

Engr. Ma. Cristina V. David


Instructor

Technically, bamboo is a grass belonging to


the subfamily Bambusoideae. Over 1,200 different species grow worldwide. Various species can reach heights of 30 m and more. About 18 million ha. of bamboo are distributed in world forest ecosystems, in Asia, Africa, and America.

There are over 1000 species of bamboo on the earth. The diversity makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. The plant tolerates extremes of precipitation, from 30-250 inches of annual rainfall. It is also the fastest growing woody plant on this planet. It grows one third faster than the fastest growing tree. Some species can grow up to one meter per day. One can almost watch it grow. This growth pattern makes is easily accessible in a minimal amount of time. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years for most softwood.

At present, there are 62 species of bamboos recorded in the Philippines. Previous records (1991) showed only 47 bamboo species. The increase in the number of species was due to the introduction of some bamboos as a result of the efforts of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) to establish bambuseta in a number of places in the country, ie. Baguio City; Los Baos, Laguna; Nabunturan, Davao del Norte; Malaybalay and Bukidnon.

The Master Plan (1997) for the development of bamboo in the Philippines as a renewable and sustainable resource reported that there were 39 000 to 52 000 ha of bamboo stand distributed as follows: 20 500-34 000 ha in the forest lands; 2236 ha in government plantation; 3037 ha of privately-owned plantations; and 13 455 ha of natural stands.

Table 1. Bamboo species growing in the Philippines


Genus Arundinaria Bambusa Species A. amabilis B. atra B. bambos B. blumeana B. cornuta B. dolichomerithalla Bambusa sp. 1 B. multiplex B. multiplex f. variegata B. multiplex f. elegans B. multiplex cv. fernleaf B. multiplex cv. golden goddess B. multiplex cv. A. Karr B. oldhamii B. tuldoides B. utilis B. vulgaris B. vulgaris var. maculata B. vulgaris var. striata Remarks NI OI OI OI OI OI N OI NI NI NI NI NI OI OI OI OI OI OI Origin Chile New Guinea India Java & Malaya Taiwan Southern China Japan Japan Chile Chile China Southern China Southern China China

Genus Chimonobambusa C. falcata

Species NI (Syn. Sinarundinaria falcata)

Remarks

Origin

Dendrocalamus

D. asper D. brandisii D. giganteus D. latiflorus D. membranaceus D. strictus

OI NI NI OI NI NI N N N N

Dinochloa

Dinochloa sp. Dinochloa sp. D. diffusa Dinochloa sp.

D. luconiae
D. pubiramaea Gigantochloa G. atroviolacea G. atter G. levis

N
N NI OI OI Java and Sumatra

Genus
Guadua

Species
G. angustifolia G. angustifolia var. bicolor M. baccifera P. argenteastriatus P. chino f. elegantissimus P. chino f. pumilus P. chino f. pygmaeus P. distichus P. fortunei cv. fortunei P. aurea P. bambusoides P. nigra P. pubescens S. kurilensis S. nipponica S. palmata S. ramosa S. brachycladum yellow S. brachycladum green S. lima S. lumampao Schizostachyum sp. Schizostachyum sp. S. kumasasa T. siamensis Y. niitakayamensis NI NI NI NI NI NI NI NI NI OI NI NI NI NI NI NI NI OI OI N N N N NI OI OI

Remarks
Columbia Columbia Bangladesh Japan Japan Chile Chile Japan Japan China Australia China Japan Chile Japan Chile Chile Asia Phil. Phil. Phil. Phil. Phil. Japan Thailand

Origin

Melocanna Pleioblastus

Phyllostachys

Sasa

Sasaella Schizostachyum

Shibataea Thyrsostachys Yushania

Because of its fast growth, good mechanical properties, low price and abundant availability, bamboo is widely recognized as a promising resource for sustainable development. Unlike most timber, bamboo is a selfregenerating natural resource; new shoots that appear annually ensure future raw material after mature culms are harvested.

Product wise the material is very strong: Bamboos tensile strength is 28,000 per square inch versus 23,000 for steel. The basic manufacturing of bamboo doesnt require special skills or expensive tools. Since it almost grows everywhere, has good material characteristics and is easy to manufacture it is very suitable for agricultural and crafting approaches for rural communities. It is an important mean for generating income and improving the nutritional status of poor and disadvantaged people.

Did you know that bamboo provided the first re-greening in Hiroshima after the atomic blast in 1945? And Thomas Edison successfully used a carbonized bamboo filament in his first experiment with the light bulb. Bamboo can be seen as a very suitable, ecofriendly and easy usable substitute for wood.

The sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of bamboo is 25% which means that bamboo greatly reduces rain run-off, preventing massive soil erosion. Its antierosion properties create an effective watershed, stitching the soil together along fragile river banks, deforested areas. Bamboo silviculture is an option for conserving and protecting tropical forests while creating enduring supplies for the wood and cellulose industries.

INBAR (the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan) in its recent publication (Ganapathy et.al 1999) reports that there have been not less than 28 types of bamboo composites lumber (BCL), also known as bamboo panel products, developed by researchers in China and in other bamboo growing countries such as India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Costa Rica. BCL have been successfully used as materials for furniture making and for non structural (non-load bearing) members in construction industries.

Some have proven to be comparable if not better than wood in certain usages. For instance, the bamboo strip board (BSB), a strong and stiff material has already had an economic success in China for making platforms (floors) for transport vehicles such as trucks, buses and rail coaches, and for making concrete formworks (in building industries). Another well-known usage of BCL is in the flooring industry. Laminated bamboo floor board has been regarded as a high value flooring material with properties better than that of wood floor board.

To date, bamboo composite has not yet been used as load bearing structural members, i.e., in the building industry. However, many bamboo scientists and engineers around the world are eyeing at this possibility as manifested in the works by Bai et al (1999), Janssen (1981), Lee et al (1996, 1998, 1997), Mansur (2000) and Nareswoho (2000). To use bamboo effectively in building industry also means to reduce the use of timber. This, in turn, will help the world lifting the burden on the environment due to excessive logging, especially of the diminishing tropical forests. With this aim, bamboo scientists and engineers are striving to generate deeper knowledge on bamboo and better technology of manufacturing bamboo composite beams.

Plybamboo and Strand Woven Bamboo are the first two high quality bamboo materials that are industrially produced and used for products on the market. One example of a high potential new material is Moulded Bamboo Mats. The specific quality of bamboo mats is the ability to give it any shape you like. Bamboo mats can be fixed in a mould and glued together to remain in that shape. With this technique, one may construct geometrically complex structures: in one piece, at low cost, low weight and with yet very good mechanical properties.

Bamboo shoots Bamboo charcoal briquette Bamboo flooring parts Bamboo veneer Bamboo flooring Bamboo mats Other vegetable materials of bamboo Basketwork of bamboo Pulps bamboo fibres Other paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding etc of bamboo Seats of bamboo Furniture of bamboo and rattan

Many more areas of applications could be thought of by other product developers. For this topic, the four most interesting applications of bamboo products are: Cellular phone/ Electronic gadgets cover: The cellular phone is a fashion accessory, business tool and productivity device with opportunities for customization by using a protective cover. Bamboo mats is the perfect material for a cellular phone cover and other electronic gadgets, which would give it a natural look. A cellular phone application could be developed to communicate the story behind the product and the possibilities of bamboo.

Chairs & Tables: The furniture market is a solid market and classic field of operation for product designers to showcase the possibilities of a new material. Design and details make chairs and tables stand out. Details could include: partly treating the mats with resin to create a product that is partly rigid and partly flexible, using 3D weaving to create more extreme shapes, using an open weaving pattern or integrating an electricity wire into the weaving.

Construction Industries: Engineered bamboo in the form of lumber, floor tiles, panels, moulded mats, ply bamboo, etc. are innovative materials that can be use as alternative for existing materials used for lightweight construction. These products may be made from the processing of dust, shavings, pulps, curls, culm walls, and fibers, which are agricultural waste from the manufacturers of crafts and other agro-industries that make use of bamboo. These materials can vary from shapes, textures, and colours.

Construction Industries: Also, it can be use for wide applications ranging from architectural finishes and non-load bearing structures. Widespread adoption of engineered bamboo for load bearing construction has been slow due to a lack of appropriate building standards. Bamboo strip board has been a success in China for making platforms for trucks, buses and rail coaches as well as concrete formworks.

Public market & other industries: To fully utilize the bamboo, wastes particularly the dead poles and branches from the clumps as well as the processing wastes such us trimmings and shavings, can be a very good material for making lowcost be a very good-quality charcoal briquettes used for cooking purposes. This could also help reduce depletion of the wood resource. It could also help mitigate carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere.

Public market & other industries:


It also reduces the volume of wastes generated from clearing operations of bamboo stands, and from processing of bamboo into furniture and other products which are thrown into waste or burned in the environment.

Raw material primary preparation drilling holes peeling skin knot removing chemical treatment 1. sawing straightening culm splitting jointing & binding bending 2. primary processing finishing filling sanding Painting End Product

REFERENCES
Bamboo research in the Philippines. Cristina A. Roxas, Senior Science Research Specialist, Forest Ecosystem Research Division, Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, College, Laguna, The Philippines Bamboo Master Plan 1997. Executive Summary. Master Plan for the development of bamboo as a renewable resource. OIDC (Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc.) and cottage industry technology center, DTI, Marikina City, Metro Manila. Gonzales, L.L. and P.A. Umali, 1995. The art and technique of establishing bamboo plantation in cogonal and stony areas. The Magalang Experience. Canopy International. Vol. 21. Nos. 1 & 2. pp. 9-11. INBAR Country Report: Philippine 1997, ERDB, Los Banos. Malab, S.C., S. Ma. Pablico and L.G. Battad. 1995. Bamboo planting material production and nursery management. Paper presented during the NationalBamboo Symposium on Dec. 19-21, 1995 held at the ERDB, Auditorium, College, Laguna.

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