Preservation and Drying of Bamboo

Abstract

Bamboo culms are a unique building material for various kinds of structures. A wider acceptance of bamboo for structural uses, however, is often hindered by its propensity to biological degradation. The preservation of bamboo structures against biological hazards is an important requirement for utilizing this valuable lignocellulose resource. Compared with the preservation of timber in tropical countries, there are certain similarities, but also considerable differences. Drying of bamboo before use is necessary since dry bamboo is stronger and less susceptible to biological degradation than moist bamboo. Furthermore, shrinkage and swelling are directly related to the moisture content. Moist bamboo affects the processing, such as machining, gluing and painting. Dimensional changes would ultimately occur if bamboo has not been dried before being used. The bamboo should be dried to the equilibrium moisture content corresponding to the service conditions before the manufacturing process.