The bamboo industry will soon have a new ‘engineered lumber’, which could lead to the increased usage of the fastest growing plantation timber, especially in the furniture and construction sectors dependent on depleting supplies of teakwood. Bamboo is considered stronger than steel but its usage is currently restricted to low-rise houses and temporary structures.
The consequence of research by the Bengaluru-based Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, bamboo lumber is undergoing trial production at its Tumkur Road unit.
Ready technology “IPIRTI has developed engineered bamboo lumber for the first time in India. The technology is ready with us and it would help any bamboo-based industry set up commercial production. The technical feasibility report is also available for entrepreneurs, and scientists at the Institute can produce bamboo lumber in a pilot plant to address the challenges faced by industry,” said Dr. B.N.Mohanty, Director, IPIRTI, Bengaluru.
Composite lumber made from bamboo retains its mechanical properties and can be manufactured in well-defined dimensions, like commercially available wood.
“As of now, only teakwood lumber is popular for its quality, durability and large planks, due to its huge tree girth. Teakwood lumber costs about Rs. 3,600 per cubic foot. But IPIRTI’s engineered bamboo lumber takes away the disadvantage of size even as its cost works out to about Rs. 2,700 per cft, which is nearly 20 per cent cheaper,” adds Mr. Mohanty.
Rigorous research The initial hiccups in getting the right kind of machinery and selecting the right bamboo species took several months. According to scientists at IPIRTI’s Center for Bamboo Development (CBD), engineered lumber is especially treated for its longevity. “Research contributions for bamboo lumber were made by all divisions of the IPIRTI, such as the choice of adhesives used, service life enhancement, testing and standardisation,” according to scientist K.Thanigai, Head-Extension, IPIRTI.
“Bamboo culms are crushed into smaller strands and then glued and pressed under [high] temperature. The approach helps overcome the presence of an inherent hollow core, even as the inter-nodes are rectified.”
Great potential From the research results on bamboo strand lumber, Thanigai finds that it is economically, environmentally and structurally beneficial to use bamboo when compared with other wood.
According to IPIRTI, the total industry demand for wood will go up from 58 million cubic metres in 2000 to 153 million cubic metres in 2020, an increase of about 164 per cent in 20 years, which includes all wood-based industries (pulp, sawn, panel and solid wood). Plywood, particle board, fibre board, flush doors, panel doors and block boards can also be made with bamboo, which has higher strength and longevity. According to the Forest Survey of India, India grows bamboo in 8.96 million hectares of forest area, that is, 12.8 per cent of the total forest area in the country.
