Bamboo Panel Boards - International Network for Bamboo and Rattan

AN APPRAISAL OF BAMBOOPANEL BOARD TECHNOLOGIESExisting bamboo panel board technologies have resulted from:1. Research, development and industrial-scale trials carried out in nationallaboratories either under their own programs or donor assisted projects;2. Research conducted in national laboratories and passed on to entrepreneursfor trial and adaptation; and3. Development efforts of entrepreneurs themselves.While the technologies developed and scaled up in research institutions aremostly documented and/or published, those developed by entrepreneurs are seldompublished. Although all available information has been collated in this report, it isscanty in a few cases, especially where individual entrepreneurs have made theirown modifications or held back information.The following appraisal divides technology development into two groups:technologies already developed and technologies still experimental.TechnologiesDevelopedBamboo mat board (BMB)BMB is the first bamboo-based panel to be produced commercially. Its versatilityhas been widely recognized and further research is in progress to improve itsefficiency, enlarge its application potential and optimize production costs. It is commerciallyproduced in China (under the name bamboo mat plywood), India, Thailandand Vietnam, while laboratory-scale production is reported in the Philippines. Thetechnologies developed are described in the following pages.CHINACasein glue-bonded BMBThe earliest boards produced were casein-bonded and their chief use was