Furniture

When it comes to wood outdoor furniture, so much of it looks the same with the exception of the finish. With bamboo, you get something that’s truly different. Its round shape with clean lines is perfect for getting a modern look while retaining an Eastern or even tropical feel. It’s also one of the strongest wood plants on Earth, so your furniture will last for years with proper maintenance. Tables, chairs, benches, bars – there’s truly no limit to the bamboo furniture options out there.

Fencing

Going with a bamboo fence has become a popular option for those looking to make their home as green as possible, as you eliminate all the harvesting of trees that goes along with a traditional fence. While it’s a lightweight material, the strength of it makes it supremely durable, so damage from high winds or storms is a non-issue. It’s a great way to set your home apart from all the others with those same, boring wood designs, whether you se it as a high privacy fence or just something short to line the front yard.

Shaded Area

A covered area of some sort is key to having a great outdoor living space, as it lets you still enjoy the area no matter what the weather’s doing. One trend gaining steam is using bamboo in your covered area. Some homeowners are opting to have the whole thing constructed of bamboo, giving it almost the feel of being on an island resort, while others are covering the inside of the shelter roof with bamboo, making a much more appealing look than the drab wood or metal that’s up there. Whatever your preference is, it’s definitely worth looking into for a new home or remodeling job.

Accessories

The little things are what tie any room, indoors or out, together, and that’s another area where bamboo is really shining. All sorts of outdoor accessories, from fountains to planters to wind chimes, are now coming in bamboo designs. As we’ve said before, the light weight and strong nature of bamboo makes it ideal to use, as it’ll look good for years with minimal maintenance.

With all the advantages of bamboo, from its strength to its good looks to its eco-friendly nature, it’s easy to see why it’s becoming so popular in outdoor décor today. Try adding some bamboo features to your outdoor living space – your friends and neighbors are sure to be impressed!

About The Author – Tina Foreman is a writer with Outdoor Living and a green design enthusiast, specializing in outdoor remodeling projects. For more info, you can write to her at tina.foreman999@gmail.com

Concept

A house designed as a showcase to promote bamboo as sustainable building material, must be unusual and eye-catching.
Bamboo has been used for making everything from kitchenware to buildings for thousands of years in most Asian countries. Among the many beautiful methods of treating bamboo, highly sophisticated weaving techniques have been developed. Woven house is an attempt to take this tradition and use it in modern architecture and in a much larger scale than anyone have ever seen before. Birds are using weaving for making their nest from materials in their habitats.
Using the unique flexibility and strength of bamboo for weaving a vacation house, that appears futuristic and dynamic and gives a unique architectural experience, where walls, floors and ceiling is one continuously surface, that also can be shaped into sitting areas and shelves.
The woven bamboo surface can be a closed surface or semi-open to light.

Location

Can be anywhere, but most importantly on a site where Bamboo is growing, so less transport is needed,
meaning less impact on nature, and in an area where there is a tradition of weaving bamboo.

Construction

Heat shaped construction bamboo is used for making the framework of the building.
Roof is covered with bamboo shingles. Internal walls, floor and ceiling is woven bamboo.

Beyond India’s vast field of macroeconomics with their already sizeable concerns, lies a sea of variegated microeconomic issues: public/private coordination issues, locales, urban and rural specificities linked to poverty alleviation, regional variations, and particular dynamism of some firms which have already gone global and are inventing new business models. This paper shows that energy is no exception; contrary this subject has economic as well as political implications par excellence, and concerns macro as well macro levels. It exemplifies the complexities, progress and contradictions of the country, and its continuing national and social construction.

 Given India’s increasing growth rates and catching-up processes, and given its demographic dynamics, India is now shaping its own models (business, urban forms, adoption/development of technology) for the next decades.

 ———-

 In Hinduism, the goddess Shakti is associated with creative energy as well as motion. This idea is in line with the recompositions and inventiveness one sees in India. This image, thought belongs to the Hindu Pantheon, has been in fact rather “secularized” and its use here should be seen in this sense. Less of a religious symbol in contemporary India, Shakti has largely become a symbol of the state: Shakti Bhawan—literally the house of energy—is the official lnme by which every Indian knows the Ministry of Power and its Bureau of Energy Efficiency in Hindi, the second official language of India with English.

Read the Full Paper HERE.

Guest Post by:

Bioenergy production has increased significantly in the last decade, and recent legislative efforts in U.S. such as the discussion draft for the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 are expected to encourage even more growth. In the quest for energy sources to meet higher energy demand, the policy push for renewable energy, including woody biomass, is gaining momentum. Several other factors are also catapulting woody biomass use for energy. These include growing concerns about energy security and dependence on foreign oil, uncertainty associated with costs for fossil fuels such as petroleum, the possibility to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk, and the potential to provide socio-economic benefits in the form of additional income from forestlands and new jobs.

Historically, woody biomass used for energy was comprised of waste from the production of lumber, pulp and paper, and other wood products. However, if bioenergy markets become competitive, use of woody biomass from logging residues, stands damaged by natural disturbances such as wildfire, pest outbreaks, storms, small diameter trees from thinning, plantations and other forests, and energy crops such as eucalyptus and poplar is quite possible. Biofuels from woody biomass, commonly called cellulosic or second generation fuels are shown to have advantages over starch-based fuels (corn ethanol for example) by avoiding the food versus fuel debate, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and yielding greater energy input-output ratio. However, several complex issues are influencing the development of these markets in economically efficient and environmentally benign ways. Some of the key issues that stand out are: biomass availability or supply; technology and market competitiveness; monetizing environmental benefits; soil, water and biodiversity impacts and  the uncertainty regarding interplay of carbon markets and  forest bioenergy.

Large variance in biomass supply estimates makes informed policy making difficult.  The available wood biomass supply information is, perhaps, essential to policymakers who establish renewable energy goals and formulate subsidies, credits, trade tariffs, and other interventions to realize those goals. On the bioenergy technology front, there is no emergent favorite technology.  Several technologies exist for converting wood biomass to liquid fuels, biopower, and bioproducts. While all technologies are proven to be possible, most of them are not yet economically competitive. Even for supposedly low hanging fruit in the country such as cofiring, there are significant challenges such as ash deposition, corrosion, and feedstock selection. Pubic research dollars are exploring all these technologies further in hopes of commercial success.

Another challenge seems to be the method of green accounting or integrated accounting, wherein social and environmental benefits accruing from woody bioenergy can be incorporated for unit cost analysis. This suggestion is consistent with findings that the public is willing to pay a premium for bioenergy to realize environmental benefits. This accounting approach can help in monetizing the benefits gained through GHG reduction. However, convincing general populace about non-market benefits and accounting still requires concerted efforts.

It is also imperative required that what woody biomass based energy should be sustainable. Bioenergy sustainability concerns regarding soil and water quality, biodiversity etc. range stand true for the whole supply chain — feedstock production, harvesting, transport, conversion, distribution, consumption, waste disposal– as well as those regarding job creation and societal benefit distribution. Several organizations at state (Forestry Departments for example), national (Environmental Protection Agency), and international (Global Bio-Energy Partnership and Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) are trying to develop guidelines and/or standards to ensure the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of bioenergy markets.

 Another factor that influences the bioenergy-GHG emission relationship is the impact of payment for carbon offsets as an incentive for GHG reduction. Carbon offsets are project-based initiatives involving specific activities to reduce, avoid or sequester GHG emissions and are tradable in carbon markets. With a carbon market proposed in future as per provisions of Waxman Markey Bill, it is hypothesized that forest owners can gain carbon credits through ‘additional’ carbon sequestered on their lands. However its viability as project offsets, whereby, needs to be assessed relative to other carbon offset options such as tillage change in agriculture, improving efficiency of power plants, clean coal technologies, timely and important.

It is fair to say that wood based energy markets, if steered appropriately, offer a promise to ensure energy security, promote environmental quality, and realize social benefits. However, several complex issues are influencing the development of these markets. Solutions to these issues would result in winners and losers. Therefore, not surprisingly, stakeholders are increasingly participating and debating these issues.  However, it is imperative that each side should respect the positions and arguments of the other and strive to move forward collectively.  A sustained dialogue through meaningful partnerships amongst biomass suppliers, biomass users, and representatives of civil society is critical to realize woody bioenergy market potentials. 

But there is hope for the resurgence of bamboo, and this is based on evidence of significant new and contemporary economic opportunities that have emerged over the past decade. A bamboo revolution that holds the potential of reversing economic downturns and ensuring profitability, is very much possible.  Bamboo is an untapped avenue of economic growth and a burgeoning bamboo sector can rope in prosperity, profits, and sustainable livelihoods.

 Despite the severe degradation of the resource in the past, India still has a considerable growing stock of bamboo, and comparative annual harvest figures[1] still place India at the top of the global league. It is important to realize the considerable latent potential that bamboo has to contribute to economic growth, poverty alleviation, generating employment, rehabilitating vast tracts of degraded land generated due to past agricultural and industrial practices and policies, and revitalizing the social, economic and ecological well-being of rural economies.

 In line with this, goals should be aimed to focus on recovering the resource lost to the rural poor, as it has been a natural capital that has helped them to keep their economies afloat even in times of significant cash crunches. Attempts should be made to replenish bamboo stocks, make it economically beneficial to rural communities in a way that it provides them opportunities to earn a sustainable income and improve their standard of living. Efforts should also be made to increase the economic opportunity from the use of bamboo as an industrial raw material, to raise employment opportunities (especially for the educated and unemployed rural youth), and to rehabilitate the degraded lands across the country (making available and productive a natural resource which is increasingly becoming scarce and expensive).

  DEMAND DRIVEN SCENARIOS

 As per the statistics available from the FAO, approximately 678,000 cubic meters of round wood logs were imported into India in 1997. The import quantity has gone up since then. According to the latest estimates available, the volume of logs imported was about 1.4 million cubic meters in 1998-1999. It is estimated that this figure would be around 2.0 million cubic meters for 1999-2000.

 The sawn wood and panels import, which was about 57,000 cubic meters, also would have gone up considerably, though no reliable figures are available. Although timber is normally obtained from government forests, community lands and private lands, the national timber production statistics report only timber extracted from government forests. These statistics indicate an increase in demand for wood even as there has been a decrease in the production of timber from government forests. The recorded production of timber accounts for less than half of the industrial wood demand in India.

 Each of the value-added industries that have been identified in the table above would pursue a growth rate based on the demand for the products. The demand, in turn, would be based on the increased acceptability of the products in the international and domestic markets. The demand will be a function of:

• 1. Increase in the cost of substitute materials such as wood, steel and other building materials
• 2. Recognition of the high durability of bamboo-based materials
• 3. Community appreciation of bamboo as a sustainable livelihood crop and their increased acceptance of the same

4. Mass usage of bamboo in government projects like housing and roads

5. Acceptance of bamboo as a material for flooring and furniture making as well as a food item among the higher income groups

From the year 2010 to 2015, the growth in the bamboo industry should be starting to acquire a definite contour. While the focus in the foundation years was on the industries that were already using bamboo as a raw material – the paper industry and handicrafts – and setting up the infrastructure and investment in new industries, the emphasis in this stage will be on the shift from lower value-added applications to higher value-added ones – bamboo board, flooring and bamboo shoot for example. This stage will mark the transformation of bamboo from a mere forest produce to a commercial commodity.

 Variety of Bamboo Charcoal: There are many kinds of bamboo charcoal. In line with their origin, bamboo charcoal can be divided into two parts: raw bamboo charcoal and charcoal stick of chips. Raw bamboo charcoal is made of small sized bamboo, old bamboo, and bamboo tops, roots, which are not fit for making other bamboo products. Charcoal stick of chips is made of residue from bamboo processing industries. In the process of making different kinds of industrialized products, there will be residue, which should be broken in chips, dried, and pressed into sticks before carbonization.

 Charcoals are of different shapes: cylinders, pieces, chips and powder. In line with the temperature of carbonization charcoals can be divided into three groups: charcoal of low, medium and high temperature. Physical and mechanical properties of charcoal differ due to different temperature of carbonization. Charcoal for regulating humidity is made at temperature of 600 degrees Celsius, that for absorbing is at 700 – 800 degrees Celsius, and for higher electric conductivity is higher than 1000 degrees Celsius. According to their uses charcoal is defined as fuel, water purifier, for cooking, for improving soil, for regulating room humidity, for preservation of vegetables, fruits and flowers, for deodorizing, for conducting electricity etc.

Process of making bamboo charcoal

Bamboo is an organic matter with high polymer content, composed of cells of different shapes and properties. The process of making bamboo charcoal is the process of heating and resolution, which can be divided into four stages according to the change in temperature, show in the adjoining table.

Methods of Charcoal making: There are two different methods of charcoal making: dry distillation (pyrogenic decomposition), and direct kiln burning.

 The main equipment for pyrogenic decomposition is a cauldron for distillation. Bamboo material should be pre-dried to decrease the water content to +/- 20% before loading into the cauldron for pyrogenic decomposition. The mixed steam gas is to be processed in jar-separator and in condenser for retrieving bamboo vinegar liquid and bamboo tar. In this process, the oxidation of bamboo material is lower, and the rate of production is higher.

In the process of direct kiln burning, the heat resulting from fuel burning curls up to the top of the kiln and spreads in the kiln. Most of the heat moves about in the upper part of the kiln, the rest of it radiates on all sides, step by step goes down to dry and pre-carbonize the bamboo material. In the process of carbonization, a small part of bamboo material is being oxidized and burnt, raising the temperature in the kiln and removing volatile matter. The smoke and steam moves in circles, and regulating the temperature in the kiln. Thus the canonization and refining process is complete producing bamboo charcoal fine and close in texture. In this process the bamboo material undergoes stages of pre-drying, drying, pre-carbonizing, carbonizing, refining and natural cooling. The temperature differs in different stages. The temperature of refining stage influences the density and electric conductivity of charcoal greatly. The rate of production through this method is low and the quality of charcoal is not stable.

Utility

1. Bamboo Charcoal: Bamboo charcoal is used as water purifier (drinking water, sewage and industrial water treatment), air purifier, medical applications, deodorizing agent, soil improvement, etc

Bamboo Active Carbon: Bamboo active carbon can be used for water and gas treatment, refining coarse sugar, refining wines and edible oils, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic applications, filters in atomic reactors, improving soil through nitrogen fixation, as electrodes in microelectronic technology, etc.

Charcoal is next only to firewood in terms of meeting the energy needs of rural communities. The decreasing availability of wood and the greater need for its sustainable use necessitate the use of alternative sources of energy. Bamboo charcoal is one such source. It has a high calorific value and can be produced using simple equipment that can be made locally. Honeycomb briquettes extruded using powdered bamboo charcoal (calorific value of 26-29 MJ/kg) and the producer gas generated during char production (average calorific value 4,520 kJ/nm3) is both good sources of energy. In one hour, a thermal gassifier can produce 100 kg of charcoal from 400 kg or bamboo. Therefore, in 24 hours, 2.5 tons of charcoal can be produced from about 10 tons of bamboo. This translates into an annual production of 625 tons of charcoal using 2,500 tons of bamboo, assuming 250 days of operation. A supply chain set up to service this scale of production would financially benefit a large number of producers, while reducing deforestation and increasing energy security.

The manufacturing process consists of the following:

1. Procurement of bamboo slivers in mat form from the farmers. Mats are woven from bamboo slivers.  Mostly women in rural or tribal areas do the weaving manually, as part time vocation to supplement family income.  From split bamboo epidermal layer is removed and slivers of thickness ranging from 0.6mm to 1.8 mm are made and dried in air to moisture content of around 15%.  Three types of mats are required for the ply board (normally a couple of cms longer and wider than the size of the finished ply board)

2. The mats are dried to a moisture level not exceeding 15%

3. Bamboo mats are dipped in modified phenol formaldehyde resin mixed with a preservative to increase resistance to termite and decay.  Resin coated mats are dried to a moisture content of around 10% in steam heated drying tunnels.

4. Dried resin coated mats are assembled in 10 to 15 plies and hot pressed to produce bamboo mat ply board of desired thickness. The mats are assembled in a manner that cross layers are on top and bottom while the longitudinal and transverse mats alternate till the desired thickness.

5. This combination is now pasted on either side with resin coated impregnated paper or wood veneer as desired.

6.  The composite is now pressed in hot press for half an hour to the required thickness.

7.  The ply board is now ready to be trimmed from the edges to the required dimension using rotary cutters.

8. After trimming the edges the ply board is inspected for dimensions, thickness, surface finish and sent for packing.

Market Size: Factory-produced, these bamboo boards represent a significant new market for rural bamboo producers. Wafer board and OSB are widely used in the US and Canada, with 95% houses being made of these. Bamboo is an ideal raw material for the production of wafer board and OSB due to its strength and dimensional stability. The price of wafer board/OSB made of bamboo is approximately US$8/ft3, which is equivalent to US$0.40/ft2 approx. of 15 mm thick boards – approximately half the cost of treated wood boards of same dimensions. Technology has been developed to produce roofing sheets from wafer board that also insulate thermally, which makes it a very competitive product as against those from bamboo mat board, which has failed to impact the market owing to high prices.

Bamboo can find a medley of new application areas that have a tremendous market opportunity, potential as well as value addition. Bamboo products could find application in high absorption and mass consumption industries like roads and housing because of its attributes of high strength and low weight. The use for bamboo grids for reinforcement of roads is an innovative application, which has not been used elsewhere in the world. Bamboo makes for excellent construction material and Ecuador has used bamboo extensively and successfully in construction of homes. Bamboo offers a low-cost but strong housing solution. Bamboo briquettes are also a new application as far as India is concerned, but they are widely used in other bamboo growing countries. Another market that could be tapped is the niche market of bamboo shoots. It is a highly popular delicacy across the world and its consumption in India needs to be promoted. Bamboo’s capacity for regeneration makes it an eminently suitable replacement for wood and it is perhaps why bamboo is referred to as “tomorrow’s timber.”

 The last 15 years has seen a mushrooming of the variety of commercially available bamboo products. As well as traditional products, there is now successful commercial production of bamboo flooring, laminated furniture, building panels (similar to timber based plywood, chipboard or MDF), high quality yarn and fabrics, activated carbon, bamboo extracts and so forth. These are no longer novelty items but are successfully competing in the marketplace and gaining market share. These recent developments have created new opportunities for leveraging bamboo as a basis for rural industrialization and poverty reduction. In particular, the emergence of new higher added-value processing increases the sector’s potential economic impact, especially in poor rural communities, compared to traditional lower value processing industries.

Unfortunately not all of the bamboo plant can be used to such effect. Premium processing needs premium parts of the bamboo (typically the middle lower part of large culms). So modern bamboo industries need a mix of different businesses producing a variety of products, with premium bamboo parts going to premium uses (e.g. flooring, laminated furniture), mid quality parts (e.g. upper mid section) going to medium value added processing (e.g. blinds, mats, chopsticks) and the leftovers, sawdust and other processing ‘waste’ being used in the bulk processing industries such as paper, charcoal or chipboard.

But the use of bamboo in these industries would be possible only if it makes commercial sense. Unless it makes business sense to replace existing materials with bamboo, the crossover would not be possible. To make bamboo and its products economically viable, the intervention of a number of facilitators and stakeholders is required. 

From a production perspective, it is possible to divide the sector into distinct sub sectors, each of which can exist on a standalone basis or in combination with the others:

1. Handicrafts: characterized by high levels of semi-skilled and skilled manual processing of relatively small volumes of bamboo culms.

2. Bamboo shoots: essentially a high value agricultural crop that can either be grown primarily for shoots or in parallel with the production of culms.

3. Industrial processing: semi-mechanized and mechanized processing of comparatively large volumes of bamboo culms. Industrial processing industries can be further divided according to the value of the processing and grade of material used:

i. Premium processing (e.g. flooring, laminated furniture, Ply board)

ii. Medium value processing (e.g. Incense sticks, Blinds)

iii. Low value and bulk processing (e.g. charcoal, paper & pulp)

4. Unprocessed culms: supplied to the local construction industry or used for domestic household applications.  

From a production perspective, it is possible to divide the sector into distinct sub sectors, each of which can exist on a standalone basis or in combination with the others:

1. Handicrafts: characterized by high levels of semi-skilled and skilled manual processing of relatively small volumes of bamboo culms.

2. Bamboo shoots: essentially a high value agricultural crop that can either be grown primarily for shoots or in parallel with the production of culms.

 3. Industrial processing: semi-mechanized and mechanized processing of comparatively large volumes of bamboo culms. Industrial processing industries can be further divided according to the value of the processing and grade of material used:

i. Premium processing (e.g. flooring, laminated furniture, Ply board)

ii. Medium value processing (e.g. Incense sticks, Blinds)

iii. Low value and bulk processing (e.g. charcoal, paper & pulp)

           4. Unprocessed culms: supplied to the local construction industry or used for domestic household applications.

Most bamboo species grow in the tropics; however, some varieties occur naturally in subtropical and temperate zones of all continents except Europe. The growing zone ranges from latitudes 46 °N to 47 °S and from sea level to over 13,000 feet (4,000 m) in elevation. Asia alone has over 1000 species, most of it in natural stands. Current major bamboo-producing-and-using countries include China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Approximately 1,500 commercial applications of bamboo have been identified. These applications may be divided into the following broad categories:

• Construction and reinforcing fibers—agricultural and fishing tools, handicrafts, musical instruments, furniture, civil engineering (bridges, scaffolding), and buildings (house frames, walls, window frames, roofs, interior dividers).

• Paper, textiles, and boards—this also includes rayon, plywood, oriented strand board, and laminated flooring.

• Food—bamboo shoots are widely used in Chinese and other Asian cuisine.

• Bioenergy feedstocks—no references were found in the literature concerning the use of bamboo as an energy feedstock.

A mature planting of bamboo forms a dense stand with little light penetration. Bamboo is semi-deciduous, with leaves shed at the end of the growing season or for species on a two-year cycle, during the following growing season. Plants that have a biennial pattern of leaf emergence typically also exhibit strong shoot production in the year when leaves are not shed.

One of the more interesting aspects about bamboo is its rapid growth. The plant will send out rhizomes (underground horizontal plant stems) tens of meters in all directions that are 12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 cm) beneath the surface. Shoot buds appear on the sides of these rhizomes, and with the onset of warm spring weather, the buds lengthen and form a compact upright shoot that penetrates the ground’s surface. The plant now concentrates on growing the culm, without branches, as fast as possible. Tall species of bamboo have been observed to grow as much as 20 inches (0.5 m) per week. After the shoot reaches the same height as other culms, leafy branches appear near the top of the culm. Growth over the following years consists of thickening the walls of the culm and increasing the wood density.

Another interesting phenomenon about bamboo is its flowering patterns. A few species are known to flower frequently, even annually, and a few species flower a few culms at a time.

However, for the majority of bamboo species, the entire clump at a location will produce flowers and then die back over the next two to three years. For most of the latter species, flowering happens every 30 to 40 years although for some species the period is over 60 years. This infrequency of flowering makes bamboo hard to study and partially accounts for the lack of knowledge about bamboo.

Since bamboo is propagated vegetatively by planting rhizomes, it may not be known where the plant is in its flowering cycle. This uncertainty of when flowering and die-back may occur has long been a concern with bamboo growers. However, the ORNL report states that “…the threat of catastrophic flowering need not pose an economic problem for bamboo growers, as long as uneven-aged propagation material is maintained, and entire stands are replaced before they approach flowering age.”

For fuel analysis, nine bamboo samples representing three different species at three different ages were collected. The publication lists the proximate, ultimate, and elemental analyses for these nine samples. The typical moisture content for freshly field-harvested bamboo is approximately 15 percent. The ash content of all samples was one percent or less, with no correlation between ash content and bamboo sample or age of sample apparent. This ash content is similar to other woody biomass materials.

Volatiles in the samples ranged from 63 to 75 percent with the balance fixed carbon and, again, no correlation between volatiles and bamboo sample or sample age was determined. Heating values were comparable to wood at 16 million to 16.5 million Btu/ton (19.09 to 19.57 GJ/t) on a dry basis.

Three bamboo characteristics—low nitrogen content, low chlorine content, and low alkali indices—are particularly significant for combustion of bamboo. Alkali indices (defined as pounds of alkali oxide per million Btu of energy content) range from 0.23 to 0.7 (0.1 to 0.3 kg/GJ), generally below the limit of 0.4 to 0.8 lb/MMBtu (0.17 to 0.34 kg/GJ) known to cause adverse fouling and slagging in combustion systems. The presence of chlorine has been shown to increase the volatility of alkali metals during combustion. However, the low chlorine values present in bamboo samples suggest that the potassium that is present is unlikely to be volatile and therefore not a problem.

Bamboo must be grown vegetatively and 1-2 year old rhizome cuttings of 12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 cm) in length with nodes and buds present are sometimes used. Younger rhizomes provide the best results. Propagation with rhizome cuttings with at least a foot of culm attached also gave better results. Typically up to eight years are required to achieve a good stand and the final stand height may not be reached until 15-20 years have elapsed.

Harvesting of traditionally grown bamboo is un-mechanized and labor intensive, especially if only selected culms are to be harvested. Research in India suggests that clear-cutting does not significantly damage bamboo stands, so it may be possible to use machinery such as modified sugar-cane harvesters. The Western and Southeastern Regional Biomass Energy Programs sponsored bamboo harvesting tests in Alabama in the late 1990’s using a flail-cutter-head harvester developed at Texas A&M Kingsville and obtained acceptable harvesting results for bamboo approximately 30 feet tall.

Bamboo has frequently been characterized as having a high productivity; however, the ORNL study did not substantiate this characterization. Values for productivity in the literature range from 1 ton/acre/year (2.2 t/ha/year) in Northern India to 7 tons/acre/year (15.5 t/ha/year) in Central Japan. Data from the United States is very limited. Data from stands in South Alabama that were aged 14 to 20 years averaged 2.7 to 3.9 tons/acre/year (6.1 to 8.6 t/ha/year). These figures exclude branches and leaves, which accounted for 14 percent of the above-ground biomass. The ORNL report speculates that based on figures available from overseas, as well as the limited trials conducted in the US, intensively managed bamboo stands with fertilization may be capable of producing over 4.5 tons/acre/year (10 t/ha/year) under Southeast US conditions.

For additional information, contact the American Bamboo Society, c/o Michael Bartholomew, 750 Krumkill Road, Albany, NY 12203-5976, http://www.bamboo.org/abs/index.shtml.

The laminated bamboo furniture unit is a relatively large-scale venture requiring start-up capital and a number of experienced personnel. By innovating new designs and seeking out new markets the unit will be able to develop rapidly and there are significant opportunities to open up exporting markets for laminated bamboo furniture in more affluent countries. The unit can easily be established at the community level, ideally as a cooperative venture. In view of the scale of investment required it might be preferable to establish the unit with the assistance of state agencies or NGOs to ensure the venture is successful and the community is the true beneficiaries.

Drawing the profile
In Furniture construction, full-scale drawings are utilized to enable one to pick measurements off the drawings while actual construction is on. For this purpose, the design is drawn full scale.

Bending with Heat
Following the practice of the cane furniture manufacturers of the North East, blow lamps were used to apply focused heat on to the poles and force bend it on a Wooden Horse (Mould). Basically the mould or horse is made out of solid wood. While one beam is perpendicular to the ground, there are two support beams parallel to the ground. The artisan makes a notch in the perpendicular and after hitching the bamboo in the notch, applies direct heat through the blowlamp. The notch is basically locking the bamboo in place and manual pressure is applied towards gravity to bend the heated pole. From time to time, a wet cloth is run onto the heated area of the pole so that the bend cools and solidifies. The pole is taken off the horse regularly, and measured on a drawing /profile to check for accuracy.
Though tedious and labor intensive, the method is able to achieve almost 100% accuracy. There is loss of the surface thickness as the excessive heat scorches the bamboo and the scraping the black skin reduces the thickness of the pole. However if totally solid bamboo is used, the loss of surface has a negligible effect on the strength of the bamboo.

Preparing the raw material
The outermost skin is scraped off to bring out the smooth luster and even colour of the bamboo. In the process, the knots on the internodes are also flattened /evened out.

For straight sections, the scraping is done before sizing. For sections that are to be bent into profiles, the bending is carried out before.

After the correct profile is achieved, the bamboo is then scraped to remove the outermost skin and the burnt marks.

Knot removing and planning surface
Various methods can be applied for surface finishing of bamboo. For knot removal, planer can be used to scrape the knots. The Team also explored using rudimentary sanding machine, and found it to be extremely useful in scraping the outer surface of the bamboo. This method reduces the drudgery of manual hand shaving.

Joinery and Assembly techniques
Most of the joinery used in Bamboo furniture is same as those used for wooden furniture. Simple joints like tendon -mortise joints work in totally solid bamboo. Plugs are inserted at hollow ends.

The furniture is an assembled frame-by-frame using carpenter vice. Bamboo dowels are used diagonally to seal joints. Before inserting the joints, industrial adhesive is used to add strength to the joinery.

Laminated blank making
Prepared sections of bamboo wood are coated with glue and then placed together in jigs to form the sub-sections of the furniture. Straight sub-sections can be pressed together in a standard hot-pressing machine, but curved sections require specially shaped jigs and are pressed by tightening bolts holdings the jig-forming elements together. They are then placed in a heated chamber for curing.

Finishing the product
At final assembly, the product is sanded before applying the termite resistant coating and melamine. Finishing involves the following stages, all designed to produce a high quality, uniform surface finish: Bleaching, prestaining, staining and coloring, wash coating, filling sealing or wash coating, glazing, top coating, rubbing, polishing and cleaning. Addition of upholstery and other fitting completes the furniture.

Market-Size: The consumption of wood other than plywood for making furniture is estimated at 3.36 million cubic meters in 2005 and set to rise to 4.62 million cubic meters by 2010. Bamboo as a substitute for wood to make furniture is expected to grow up to US$224 million by 2010. A range of furniture for school, office, showroom and home is made from bamboo. Bent-laminate furniture from bamboo is currently under prototyping. Consistent supply of processed bamboo is the key to the growth and development of this industry .

Source: Mayank, M (2008) Techno Economic Feasibility Study for Setting up of Bamboo SMEs, NMBA, India