Bamboo Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Stories of Beeja-One Let's hear about the beginning of 'The Beginning'…. D: I have seen quite a few of Beeja's designs and I feel they have a rustic connect, not just in terms of the material used but the designs as well. Tell me what... more

Stories of Beeja-One Let's hear about the beginning of 'The Beginning'…. D: I have seen quite a few of Beeja's designs and I feel they have a rustic connect, not just in terms of the material used but the designs as well. Tell me what inspires Beeja's designs ?

Leaves of several bamboo species have been used to treat a variety of diseases for thousands of years. The medicinal effects of bamboo leaves are mostly attributed to their bioactive polyphenol constituents. However, different classes of... more

Leaves of several bamboo species have been used to treat a variety of diseases for thousands of years. The medicinal effects of bamboo leaves are mostly attributed to their bioactive polyphenol constituents. However, different classes of polyphenol have different degree of solubility in various solvents, a single solvent will not fully extract all phenolic compounds, thus may exhibit varying antioxidant potency. The present study was designed to examine extractive values of leaves of Bambusa nutans and Bambusa vulgaris using chloroform, acetone and methanol successively and to evaluate the total polyphenols contents and free radical scavenging capabilities of each extract. The total phenolic content of the various extracts was determined spectrophotometrically using a modified Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant efficacy by following DPPH radical scavenging protocol. The extracts were also subjected to preliminary screening for presence or absences of various phytochemical constituents. The results showed that B. nutans produced better yield of polyphenol [methanol (15.3542 ± 0.1576 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > acetone (11.7992 ± 0.5502 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > chloroform (10.1618 ± 0.3284 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract)] than corresponding solvent extracts of B. vulgaris [methanol (12.7976 ± 0.4878 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > acetone (10.1328 ± 0.2135 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > chloroform (8.8549 ± 0.1747 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract)]. The DPPH radical scavenging assay showed that methanol extracts leaves of both the Bamboo species exhibited highest TPC and radical scavenging activity whereas leaves of B. nutans found to be superior to B. vulgaris in term of TPC and radical scavenging potency. Preliminary phytochemical screening of leaf extracts of the two bamboo species indicated the presence of major classes of phytochemicals. The study evidently showed that leaves of B. nutans and B. vulgaris are rich sources of phenolic compounds and natural antixodants and they could be used as natural antioxidant. The study further indicated methanol as the appropriate extractant for better yield of polyphenols and leaf extract of Bambusa nutans is superior to that of B. vulgaris in term of TPC and antioxidant efficacy.

Keywords: Modified alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment Lignin removal Enzymatic hydrolysis Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation A B S T R A C T To overcome the typical delignification saturation point of alkaline peroxide... more

Keywords: Modified alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment Lignin removal Enzymatic hydrolysis Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation A B S T R A C T To overcome the typical delignification saturation point of alkaline peroxide pretreatment and further facilitate lignin removal, a novel modified alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment (MAHP) was proposed by introducing ethanol into the reaction system. The dosages of H 2 O 2 , ethanol, and pretreatment temperature were optimized, and the results revealed that a maximum lignin removal as high as 79.25% could be achieved at only 100 • C, 3 wt % H 2 O 2 concentration and 1 wt% ethanol concentration. Meanwhile, 76.5% of glucan and 56.0% of xylan were preserved at this pretreatment condition. By overcoming the delignification saturation point, enzymatic hy-drolysis efficiency was remarkably enhanced, achieving 96.76% and 97.38% of glucan and xylan conversion, respectively, which are 7.4 and 11.4 times as compared to that of the untreated bamboo. Furthermore, the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) result indicated an identical ethanol yield of ~75% when elevating the SSF solid loading from 5% to 30%. Based on the sequential SSF and xylose fermentation results, about 5.6 tons of bamboo would be consumed to produce 1 ton of ethanol. Finally, the energy balance revealed that a positive balance of 1255.4 KJ could be generated via processing 1 kg bamboo. The results demonstrate that the MAHP is a promising high-efficiency pretreatment technology for bamboo due to the mild pretreatment severity and robust ethanol yield.

"The indiscriminate infrastructural growth is leading to rapid environmental degradation. Steel, cement, synthetic polymers and metal alloys used for construction activities are energy intensive as well as cause environmental pollution... more

"The indiscriminate infrastructural growth is leading to rapid environmental degradation. Steel, cement, synthetic polymers and metal alloys used for construction activities are energy intensive as well as cause environmental pollution during theirentire life cycle. In order to quantify the energy and CO2 savings potential by applying best available technologies like vegetable fibres including bamboo, wastes from industry and mining etc., for engineering applications. In this paper an attempt has been made for finding bamboo as reinforcement in concrete by determining the various physical and mechanical properties of bamboo. The investigations conducted for the tested types of bamboo are evaluated using the same accept criteria as that of steel. This study investigates the Moso type bamboo tensile stress, compressive stress, Modulus of Elasticity, Water absorption capacity, Shear stress, and bonding stress. In general the strength of bamboo is as high as mild steel while, their density is as low as carbon fibre. In this investigation two types of Moso Bamboo specimens were considered. First type of specimen contains node at middle and second type of specimen contains nodes at 1/4th of length from each end. Tensile, Compressive, Shear and Bond tests for bamboo specimens were conducted on U.T.M and C.T.M the relevant graphs were drawn and are compared with graphs obtained for standard steel. Syed Mohd Masood | Zeeshan Khan""Adoption of Green Building Technique: Replacement of Steel by Bamboo"" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-1 | Issue-5 , August 2017, URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd2315.pdf
Article URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/engineering/civil-engineering/2315/adoption-of-green-building-technique-replacement-of-steel-by-bamboo/syed-mohd-masood"

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of bamboo laminas of the species Dendrocalamus giganteus to three-layer medium density particleboard (MDP). These laminas were glued onto both the top and the bottom of... more

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of bamboo laminas of the species Dendrocalamus giganteus to three-layer medium density particleboard (MDP). These laminas were glued onto both the top and the bottom of each panel. With the manufactured panels laminated with bamboo, mechanical tests based on the Brazilian Standard ABNT NBR 14810 were carried out to determine the modulus of rupture (MOR) in static bending and the tensile strength parallel-to-surface. These mechanical tests were realized in particleboards of eucalyptus and in reinforced particleboard, both produced in the laboratory. The modulus of rupture and tensile strength parallel-to-surface of the laminated MDP had values close to those that have been reported. The reinforcements increased the values of these studied properties. Nevertheless, this fact indicated the possibility to produce a stronger MDP using bamboo lamina as surface layers. These results show the possibility of using coated-b...

The live of Balinese community can’t be separated from bamboo usage. Mostly, bamboos can grow from lowland to highland. Some bamboos also grow naturally in the forest. Six bamboos were reported as endemic in Bali, such as tiing liplip... more

The live of Balinese community can’t be separated from bamboo usage. Mostly, bamboos can grow from lowland to highland. Some bamboos also grow naturally in the forest. Six bamboos were reported as endemic in Bali, such as tiing liplip (Dinochloa sepang Widjaja & Astuti), tiing ooh (Bambusa ooh Widjaja & Astuti), buluh kedampal (Schizostachyum castaneum Widjaja), tiing bali (Gigantochloa baliana Widjaja & Astuti), tiing jajang aya (Gigantochloa aya Widjaja & Astuti) and tiing jajang taluh (Gigantochloa taluh Widjaja & Astuti). All of those have been conserved in Bali Botanic Garden.

Next to the food shortage, the housing shortage is one of the most crucial problems on earth. To improve this situation and make it possible to build more houses, particularly for low-income families, it is necessary to examine all... more

Next to the food shortage, the housing shortage is one of the most crucial problems on earth. To improve this situation and make it possible to build more houses, particularly for low-income families, it is necessary to examine all locally available materials which can be used for construction. Bamboo, sisal and coconut fibres are materials which are available in abundance in Brazil and are not used in civil construction. To increase the amount of information concerning the physical and mechanical behaviour of these materials several research programmes were executed at Pontifical Universidade Cat6lica in Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and Universidade Federal da Paraiba (UFPb) under the general supervision of the first author. In this paper new results are presented concerning the application of sisal and coconut fibres in conjunction with three types of locally appropriate soil for the production of composite soil blocks reinforced with sisal and coconut fibres. 0

Although Asian bamboo species constitute a non-timber forest product of major cultural and economic importance, no detailed regional assessment of their distribution patterns has previously been made. To assess the potential of the... more

Although Asian bamboo species constitute a non-timber forest product of major cultural and economic importance, no detailed regional assessment of their distribution patterns has previously been made. To assess the potential of the existing bamboo species distribution data for production of regional mapping tools for planning the conservation of forest-based biodiversity, data on bamboo distribution and forest cover were combined. Over 1000 bamboo species from 60 genera of woody bamboos were incorporated, allowing the mapping of individual species or groups of species and genera, along with potential species richness and biodiversity hotspots. Over 6.3 million km2 of Asian forest potentially contains bamboo, with highest densities indicated from northeastern India through Burma to southern China, and through Sumatra to Borneo. The highest figures for potential species richness (144 spp per square km) were recorded in forests of south China, including Hainan Island. Despite substantial inadequacies and inconsistencies in knowledge of the taxonomy and distribution of bamboo species, this approach may provide a valuable tool for planning in situ conservation of forest biodiversity.

The environment in Nigeria is exceptionally exposed to diverse natural hazards. Due to this factor, this paper investigates a material which can be substituted for wood or steel in construction. Bamboo, a natural raw material, is one of... more

The environment in Nigeria is exceptionally exposed to diverse natural hazards. Due to this factor, this paper investigates a material which can be substituted for wood or steel in construction. Bamboo, a natural raw material, is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. Bamboo use in construction is not new; it has been regularly utilized for building mud houses and small huts in villages for centuries. Bamboo is a durable and exceptionally flexible building material. It has been utilized for flooring, walls, roofing, concrete reinforcement, and scaffolding, is light in weight and easily transported. This paper will examine bamboo and its environmental benefits, it properties and qualities. In Nigeria, the rate of bamboo use is low; therefore, this paper will investigate bamboo and its uses in Nigeria, conceivable uses that can be embraced demonstrating its accessibility and impacts on the environment in Nigeria.

A key issue in the profitability of bamboo plantations is the productivity that can be expected. This study aimed to understand bamboo biomass as well as carbon biomass on Dendrocalamus asper cv. black that was propagated by culm and... more

A key issue in the profitability of bamboo plantations is the productivity that can be expected. This study aimed to understand bamboo biomass as well as carbon biomass on Dendrocalamus asper cv. black that was propagated by culm and rhizome cuttings after five years planted. In this study, there were two kinds of black petung bamboo that have been used as samples, namely Dendrocalamus asper cv. black that was propagated by culm and rhizome cuttings. This study was conducted in bamboo compartment of Bali Botanic Garden. Destructive sampling was used to determine bamboo biomass. Bamboo culms were divided into four parts such as leaves, branches, stems and roots for analysis. The results revealed that averaged bamboo biomass and carbon biomass per hectare for Dendrocalamus asper cv. black propagated by culm and rhizome cuttings were 38.3 tons and 19.2 tons, and 83.4 tons and 41.7 tons respectively.

Rural Road connectivity is a key component of rural development, since it promotes access to economic and social services, thereby generating increased agricultural productivity, non-agriculture, employment as well as non-agricultural... more

Rural Road connectivity is a key component of rural development, since it promotes access to economic and social services, thereby generating increased agricultural productivity, non-agriculture, employment as well as non-agricultural productivity, which in turn expands rural growth opportunities and real income through which poverty can be reduced. Recently, in the attention in response to global warming issues and sustainable society, the manufacturing using natural materials has become active. Present day construction works use concrete as a basic material. To achieve Tensile strength, Steel is used as reinforcement because concrete is Brittle in tensile strength. Most commonly encountered problems in Steel are corrosive, expensive, etc. Therefore, studies are going on to use Bamboo as reinforcement in concrete and as a structural material because of its beneficial characteristics. Some of the fibers that can use in production of Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) are Aluminum, Coir, Jute, Carbon, Steel, etc. The Bamboo fibers are also used in concrete as a natural fiber to produce Bamboo Fibers Reinforced Concrete (BFRC) to impart some desirable properties to concrete. The mixing of small, closely spaced and evenly distributed fibers to concrete avoids cracking and significantly develop the Cracking arrestors, Impact strength, Tensile strength, Fatigue resistance, and Wear and Tear. This has been proved. The concrete Ductility is augmented by mixing of fibers. Bamboo is a multipurpose reserve categorized by a large ratio of strength to weight and its ease of work with simple tools. So Rural Cement Concrete road can be constructed with the use of the bamboo fiber and according to so many favorable mechanical property of the bamboo fiber, we canuse of bamboo fiber in rural road construction and increase the strength of road and increase the durability.

每個民族的神話是她們解釋自然風土、歷史與風俗慣習的故事，一個文化裡的共有神話與傳說幫助建構其歸屬與民族信仰與道德與行為價值。在台灣與東南亞諸國中，「竹」一直都有其超越其物質性在傳說與民俗信仰上的角色與意義。「竹」在許多亞洲國家是一種常見而普及的材料，然而竹子在文化層面而言，除了實用價值之外更有深厚的文化意涵與認同，非僅為一種能有多元技法表現之材料。放眼亞洲諸國裡，竹生神話橫跨東亞、東南亞以至於南亞，出現在許多不同區域。從北起日本《竹取物語》的輝夜姬傳說，南至在印度與緬甸之間海... more

每個民族的神話是她們解釋自然風土、歷史與風俗慣習的故事，一個文化裡的共有神話與傳說幫助建構其歸屬與民族信仰與道德與行為價值。在台灣與東南亞諸國中，「竹」一直都有其超越其物質性在傳說與民俗信仰上的角色與意義。「竹」在許多亞洲國家是一種常見而普及的材料，然而竹子在文化層面而言，除了實用價值之外更有深厚的文化意涵與認同，非僅為一種能有多元技法表現之材料。放眼亞洲諸國裡，竹生神話橫跨東亞、東南亞以至於南亞，出現在許多不同區域。從北起日本《竹取物語》的輝夜姬傳說，南至在印度與緬甸之間海域安達曼群島(Andaman Islands )的人類起源傳說，竹生神話有其跨地理區域的特殊性。本研究希冀透過比較台灣與東南亞之「竹生神話」，以提升跨區域之多元性理解。
Mythology represented how an ethnic group see and explained its cosmology, nature, history, and custom. Mythologies can also built up their belief, social value, and social norms. Taiwan and many other Asian countries share various stories about there was human born from bamboo in their local mythologies and folklores which I would refer as “bamboo-born” stories in this paper. As bamboo is a common, useful, widely available, and easily accessible material in many Asian countries, these stories about bamboo-born demonstrated the cultural meaning and symbolic value among these peoples. The materiality of bamboo had transcended its practical usages and took its unique role through these mythologies.
From the 10th-century Japanese monogatari (fictional prose narrative) “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (竹取物語 Taketori Monogatari) ” to the Aka-Bo legend in Andaman Islands about how mankind originated, they all mentioned stories about there was human born from bamboo. These stories shared among different Asian countries especially among many Austronesian or the Malayo-Polynesian indigenous peoples.
Most of current available researches documented various bamboo-born stories in specific field site without the comparison of cross-geographical stories. This preliminary research intends to juxtapose and compare various stories about how human was born from bamboo in Taiwan and Southeast Asia in order to enhance wilder and mutual understanding among their cultures.

Bamboo is a green construction material in line with sustainable development strategies. The use of raw bamboo in architecture has existed since ancient times. In the long development years of original bamboo buildings, many areas in the... more

Bamboo is a green construction material in line with sustainable development strategies. The use of raw bamboo in architecture has existed since ancient times. In the long development years of original bamboo buildings, many areas in the world gradually formed unique bamboo buildings, which have become an important local cultural feature. For building structures, joints are the key to ensure structural load transfer. Because of hollow and thin-walled material property of bamboo, the connection in raw bamboo buildings has always been a major difficulty and problem in the application of bamboo, which seriously hinders the development of original bamboo structures. In order to promote the use of raw bamboo, two traditional connection methods in raw bamboo structures are described in this paper firstly, with the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods pointed out. Also, research progress on four categories of raw bamboo building joints is described namely, bolt joints, steel member joints, filler reinforced joints and other types of joints. This work can provide a reference for future research and engineering applications.

Due to the high dimensional variation of bamboo, the manufacturing of materials such as plywood and laminated bamboo produces a high amount of residues. The production of particleboards could be used to overcome this problem and become a... more

Due to the high dimensional variation of bamboo, the manufacturing of materials such as plywood and laminated bamboo produces a high amount of residues. The production of particleboards could be used to overcome this problem and become a viable solution to reuse the generated waste as a raw material to high value-added products. This study aimed to present an overview of the bamboo particleboard production, as well as the mechanical and physical properties of this material, followed by a review of the advances in its research and development. In general, independently of the resin or bamboo species utilization, several bamboo particleboards meet the mechanical properties requirements of international standards for wood-based medium-density particleboards. The main focus of this study is to provide a review, in order to support research groups interested in using new bamboo-based materials for the development of manufactured durable products.

The focus of most design and manufacturing firms is to improve product quality with high efficiency and at lower cost. Material properties and cost are critical for achieving production efficiency. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has proven... more

The focus of most design and manufacturing firms is to improve product quality with high efficiency and at lower cost. Material properties and cost are critical for achieving production efficiency. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has proven to be a valuable tool for limiting inefficiencies and improving reliability in most engineering designs. A brief review of the FEA process and its use in wood and bamboo characterisation is presented in this chapter. Additionally, the use of FEA for simulation of bamboo behaviour under tensile, compression, and bending is discussed. The second part of this chapter discusses some significant studies conducted on bamboo as a Functionally Graded Material (FGM). Understanding the FGM property of bamboo will legitimise it for many more industrial and engineering use. Other artificial materials can be developed to exhibit similar optimised functionalisation. Experimental work is also carried out to show the microstructure of the vascular bundle. An optim...

Pure bamboo fibres have been extracted by using three different retting techniques viz. Chemical assisted natural (CAN), Acid and Alkali retting. CAN and acid retted fibre bundles were further scoured using various concentrations of... more

Pure bamboo fibres have been extracted by using three different retting techniques viz. Chemical assisted natural (CAN), Acid and Alkali retting. CAN and acid retted fibre bundles were further scoured using various concentrations of sodium carbonate. As the primary concern of this study is the end use of treated fibres for textile application, therefore, lignin content, tensile strength, weight loss, moisture content, whiteness and yellowness indices were measured. Lignin content analysis of the fibre bundles obtained showed that there was a remarkable reduction in lignin content after CAN retting. Scanning Electronic microscopy of the retted bamboo fibre bundles showed removal of short elementary fibres from their surfaces in appropriate amount, which further improved moisture content and overall physical properties of retted and scoured bamboo fibres.

Local baskets play an important role in the Bontok's identity, particularly for women who are married. They must possess sets of baskets that are valued by their community to establish themselves as married women. These have resonance in... more

Local baskets play an important role in the Bontok's identity, particularly for women who are married. They must possess sets of baskets that are valued by their community to establish themselves as married women. These have resonance in their life as primary rice farmers and their relationship with their environment. In instances of drought brought on by the El Niño, the disappearance of the basketweaving materials signals the lack of food harvests that are contained within those baskets.Such symbolic occurrences have implications on how they will manage food security for their community.

Chemical composition and cell wall structure on Bambusa vulgaris were investigated. The samples were classified in two different age groups which are young and mature. Each bamboo was divided into three portions which are bottom, middle... more

Chemical composition and cell wall structure on Bambusa vulgaris were investigated. The samples were classified in two different age groups which are young and mature. Each bamboo was divided into three portions which are bottom, middle and top. The aim of this study is to investigate the chemical composition which are the percentage of extractive, holocellulose, alpha cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin content and also to visualize the Bambusa vulgaris structure under light microscopy (LM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The methods used to extract all chemical composition were following the TAPPI standard. From this study, it can be highlighted that the higher extractive content and lignin content are 6.51% and 25.97%, respectively which are from top mature of Bambusa vulgaris. Furthermore, the higher content of holocellulose was shown on the top of a young Bambusa vulgaris with 95.07% and followed by the higher content of alpha cellulose on middle mature of Bambusa vulgaris with 55.02%. Lastly, the study has also indicated that higher content of hemicellulose can be found at a bottom of a young Bambusa vulgaris with 48.53%. In this study, the surface of bamboo was visualized by LM to determine their structural figure. It was then followed by a more clear study of cell wall structure that were examined by SEM, and later on illustrated by TEM to most depth anatomically structure of bamboo.

Bamboo, a gramineous plant belonging to the family Poaceae, comprises of 1575 species from 116 genera across the globe. It has the ability to grow and evolve on degraded land and hence, can be utilized in the various applications as an... more

Bamboo, a gramineous plant belonging to the family Poaceae, comprises of 1575 species from 116 genera across the globe.
It has the ability to grow and evolve on degraded land and hence, can be utilized in the various applications as an alternative
for plastic and wood. DNA barcoding, a long genomic sequence, identifies barcode region which shows species-specific
nucleotide differences. This technology is considered as advanced molecular technique utilized for characterization and
classification of the various species by applying distinctive molecular markers. Recent investigations revealed the potential
application of various barcode regions such as matK, rbcL, rpoB, rpoC1, psbA-trnH, and ITS2, in identification of many
bamboo species from different genus. In this review we comprehensively discussed the relevance of DNA barcoding as a tool
in classification/identification of various bamboo species. We highlighted the methodology, how this advance technology
overcomes the challenges associated with traditional methods along with prospects for future research.

Kitil Farm is a licensed open quarantine which operates in Kenya. We grow and sell high quality bamboo seedlings to individuals, investment groups, NGOs, CBOs, Government ministries and departments, and County governments. We use... more

Kitil Farm is a licensed open quarantine which operates in Kenya. We grow and sell high quality bamboo seedlings to individuals, investment groups, NGOs, CBOs, Government ministries and departments, and County governments. We use biotechnology, among other laboratory techniques. We also establish bamboo nurseries, rehabilitate degraded land, to fully functional ecosystem using bamboo. Most importantly, we also conduct training to individual investors and/or groups on all aspects of bamboo care, bamboo management, harvesting and associated technologies.

Bamboo has been known widely as a material for buildings since the dawn of the century. Nevertheless, bamboo is often regarded as a low-class building material which has commonly used by low-income people. Since the issue of global... more

Bamboo has been known widely as a material for buildings since the dawn of the century. Nevertheless, bamboo is often regarded as a low-class building material which has commonly used by low-income people. Since the issue of global warming and sustainability, bamboo became a focus for building material due to its sustenance and fast growth in the natural environment. Architects and builders alike started to choose bamboo as an alternative to wood. Furthermore, it is difficult to get good-quality woods for construction and historically, a vast tract of land has been ruined due to deforestation that caused an adverse effect on the surroundings. This paper attempts to discuss the properties of bamboo and how it is inventively applied in building design. Descriptive-qualitative methods were used in this study to reveal an understanding of the application of bamboo in building design. To further enhance the finding and context of discussing a case study on how bamboo has been used in designing the structure in an innovative organic form. The result from this research found out that bamboo is noble to be considered as an alternative material in building design due to its natural properties, exclusively for curvilinear organic-form building that hardly achieved in steel and concrete. Disciplinary: Architecture (Green/Sustainable Architecture).

The current essay regards of the feasibility for the manufacturing of a bamboo bicycle frame, along with the use of parametric CAD modelling, application of additive manufacturing technologies and use of low environmental impact... more

The current essay regards of the feasibility for the manufacturing of a bamboo bicycle frame, along with the use of parametric CAD modelling, application of additive manufacturing technologies and use of low environmental impact materials. The design of the bike is assessed for sustainability, with the aid of computerised data base for materials and structurally analysed by computational and physical methods.
The overall aim of the project was to generate a frame for the build of the frame, and how to assess its engineering quality and reliability.

Fish traps are passive fishing gear which lured the fish either for food or shelter and get trapped through appropriate hard or soft structures. Documentation of these traditional fish trapping methods from the northeastern parts of India... more

Fish traps are passive fishing gear which lured the fish either for food or shelter and get trapped through appropriate hard or soft structures. Documentation of these traditional fish trapping methods from the northeastern parts of India is limited. This study attempts to document the traditional fish trapping devices from four districts of Meghalaya with respect to its structure and operation. The depicted survey highlights 11 types of fish traps which were classified into three major categories such as tubular, basket and box traps. Average length of these documented traps ranged from 0.25-1.5 m and mostly operated during monsoon and post-monsoon season in floodplain and low-lying areas like rice fields, ponds, shallow rivers and ditches. Murrels, minnows, barbs, mahseers and catfishes were the dominant fish catch from these gears. Most of the traps were fabricated with bamboo and locally available materials with a life span of more than 2-3 years. Results revealed that Khnu/Chiap, is the most popular and efficient trap with a CPUE of 2.5 kg day-1 trap-1. Documentation and the knowledge concerning the traditional gears will facilitate to improvise the fishing gears which will ultimately improve the livelihood of fishermen in the northeastern region of India.

This study evaluated bamboo as a potential replacement for steel in concrete beams. The bamboo was splint into 19mm strips from the Bamboo culm. Each 19mm strip was counted as percentage reinforcement. The percentages of bamboo... more

This study evaluated bamboo as a potential replacement for steel in concrete beams. The bamboo was splint into 19mm strips from the Bamboo culm. Each 19mm strip was counted as percentage reinforcement. The percentages of bamboo reinforcements used varied from 1% to 14%. One hundred and forty specimens for the flexural test were cast in 150mm x150mm x 600mm rectangular moulds and 150mm x 300mm cylindrical moulds were used for another one hundred and forty tensile test specimens. The surface of the bamboo splint was coated with bitumen and sandblasted. The concrete mix ratio was 1:2:4 with a water/cement ratio of 0.54. The bamboo-reinforced concrete beams were tested at intervals of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30days for flexural and tensile strengths. It was observed that as the percentage of bamboo reinforcement increased, both flexural and tensile strengths increased. The maximum strength occurred at 9% at each interval of testing. In general, the test results indicated that the inclusion of Bamboo splints in concrete beams increased the load carrying capacity of the beams but not proportionately. It can therefore be recommended that Bamboo reinforcement can be used basically for light weight concrete structures as minimal/nominal reinforcement in a structure.

The development of liveable space made from shipping containers becomes a trend even in Malaysia with the hot and humid climate persisting throughout the year. For sustaining the indoor comfort, building insulation is well adapted to... more

The development of liveable space made from shipping containers becomes a trend even in Malaysia with the hot and humid climate persisting throughout the year. For sustaining the indoor comfort, building insulation is well adapted to increase thermal resistance and reduce the dependency on the mechanical cooling systems. The prospective of a shipping container as an efficient construction material and bamboo as a sustainable insulation material is well documented but basic information on the internal environment that has an impact on a person, particularly risk potential towards sick building syndrome (SBS) has been absent. Therefore, the measurements of both indoor and outdoor temperatures, relative humidity and CO2 concentration with two different conditions were done by using different sets of data loggers for at least 70 days under each condition. The first condition is a bare unit of the shipping container and followed by the installation of untreated bamboo as insulation for the second condition. This research reveals that high temperatures were recorded up to 40°C in both conditions and untreated bamboo as insulation increased the relative humidity levels up to the maximum, 100%. The mean values of CO2 concentration are in the range of 1,869 ppm to 2,938 ppm and they reach up to 5,000 ppm at the most of the intervals, indicating a significant contribution to SBS. The condition of the equatorial climate denies the compatibility of the shipping container to be used as the building material of liveable space. The quality and treatment of the bamboo must be the ultimate priority.

Resumen El estudio se desarrolló en el cantón Yantzaza, perteneciente a la provincia de Zamora Chinchipe. Este trabajo se centra en el diseño de un modelo de casa ecológica con bambú en el área rural de Yantzaza. Los diseños de viviendas... more

Resumen El estudio se desarrolló en el cantón Yantzaza, perteneciente a la provincia de Zamora Chinchipe. Este trabajo se centra en el diseño de un modelo de casa ecológica con bambú en el área rural de Yantzaza. Los diseños de viviendas hoy en día no están construidos con bambú. Esto se atribuye al desconocimiento de sus ventajas, la desconfianza hacia otras alternativas y la falta de gobierno y de los propios constructores. En el desarrollo de este proyecto, comenzamos con la recopilación de información sobre el bambú, los materiales de construcción alternativos y sus propiedades y cualidades, como su naturaleza económica y su resistencia a los terremotos. Como resultado, recurrimos a recopilar información sobre diversos proyectos, investigaciones y estándares de construcción con bambú de Ecuador, Colombia y Perú. Aquí, se diseñó la parte arquitectónica de la casa, así como sus sistemas activos y la cocina mejorada, y el filtro biológico para el agua potable. El gallinero fue utilizado como cuyera, y el filtro biológico para aguas residuales. En cuanto a la construcción de viviendas, se elaboró un manual para desarrollar su contenido con respecto a los planes que se desarrollaron. Además, se utilizaron revistas, libros electrónicos, manuales y estándares de construcción con bambú. En conclusión, el bambú es un material importante cuyas características principales residen en su comportamiento físico en términos de sus estructuras mecánicas y su relación de peso y resistencia.

Now-a-days, natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are increasingly being used for varieties of engineering applications due to their many advantages. Among natural fibers, bamboo has been widely used for many such applications due... more

Now-a-days, natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are increasingly being used for varieties of engineering applications due to their many advantages. Among natural fibers, bamboo has been widely used for many such applications due to its availability. Since these composites are finding wide applications in highly dusty environment which are subjected to solid particle erosion, a study of their erosion characteristics are of vital importance. Generally solid particle erosion, a typical wear mode leads to Material loss due to repeated impact of solid particles. For a composite material, its mechanical behavior and surface damage by solid particle erosion depends on many factors. Attempts have been made in this paper to explore the potential utilization of bamboo fiber in polymer matrix composites and review on before work, done by different researchers related to natural fiber reinforced polymer composites.

The performance of bamboo as reinforcement in concrete structures can be successful if safety limit conditions are considered. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of bamboo strips application as a flexure and shear... more

The performance of bamboo as reinforcement in concrete structures can be successful if safety limit conditions are considered. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of bamboo strips application as a flexure and shear reinforcement in concrete beams. Culms from Dendrocalamus giganteus were split and employed as reinforcement using rectangular sections of 20 mm width × natural length of the bamboo. Experimental analysis of six simply supported bamboo-reinforced concrete beams subjected to two point loads was carried out up to collapse. The ultimate test loads for the different beams were compared to the loads predicted according to ACI 318 (steel reinforced concrete beams regulation). Finally, a recommendation based on the analysis of the results for the design of such beams is proposed. Biographical notes: Gisleiva C.S. Ferreira is a Professor at the State University of Campinas – UNICAMP – Brazil. Her researches are in the areas of materials science and environment whose research lines are: mechanical, environmental and economic performance of materials and processes applied to construction with the use of solids wastes; microstructure characterisation of conventional cementitious matrices and solid waste; inspection and monitoring of buildings in service of cultural and historical interest with non-destructive techniques; and evaluation of construction materials mechanical performance used in buildings and in service of historical and cultural interest. Antonio L. Beraldo is a PhD Professor at the State University of Campinas – UNICAMP – Brazil. His researches are in the areas of materials science and environment whose research lines are: mechanical, environmental and processes applied to construction with the use of solids wastes; and microstructure characterisation of conventional cementitious matrices and solid waste.