The effect of chemical extraction with heat on the bamboo fibre strength

Abstract

Abstract Bamboo is a renewable material widely used as a reinforced composite. One of the steps in making bamboo composites is soaking or heating using NaOH. The process is intended to eliminate small animals that may live in the bamboo. The attainment of strength and toughness is the most crucial requirement in structural material. This study compared the Apus, Atter, and Black bamboo fiber‘s strength by administering several methods and applying three different extraction times. The methods are the 5% NaOH chemical extraction method at a temperature of 70°C (heated), the 5% NaOH chemical extraction method (permeated) at room temperature, and the extraction method without treatment nor administering heat. The highest tensile strength among the three methods for each Apus, Atter, and Black bamboo is 194.25 N/mm2, 142.67 N/mm2, and 178.46 N/mm2, respectively. Among the mothed used in this research, heating the bamboo in 5% NaOH solution with a 70°C temperature is more effective than soaking it at room temperature. The strength was increased up to 112%, 98%, and 190% for Apus, Atter, and Black bamboo. Black bamboo shows a significant improvement by using a chemical extraction process.