Processed Bamboo as a Novel Formaldehyde-Free High-Performance Furniture Biocomposite
Shengbo Ge, Nyuk Ling, Shuaicheng Jiang, Yong Sik Ok, Su Shiung Lam, Cheng Li, Sheldon Q. Shi, Xu Nie, Ying Qiu, Dongli Li, Qingding Wu, Daniel C.W. Tsang, Wanxi Peng, Christian Sonne
Abstract
We used an innovative approach involving hot pressing, low energy consumption, and no adhesive to transform bamboo biomass into a natural sustainable fiber-based biocomposite for structural and furniture applications. Analyses showed strong internal bonding through mechanical "nail-like" nano substances, hydrogen, and ester and ether bonds. The biocomposite encompasses a 10-fold increase in internal bonding strength with improved water resistance, fire safety, and environmentally friendly properties as compared to existing furniture materials using hazardous formaldehyde-based adhesives. As compared to natural bamboo material, this new biocomposite has improved fire and water resistance, while there is no need for toxic adhesives (mostly made from formaldehyde-based resin), which eases the concern of harmful formaldehyde-based VOC emission and ensures better indoor air quality. This surpasses existing structural and furniture materials made by synthetic adhesives. Interestingly, our approach can 100% convert discarded bamboo biomass into this biocomposite, which represents a potentially cost reduction alternative with high revenue. The underlying fragment riveting and cell collapse binding are obviously a new technology approach that offers an economically and sustainable high-performance biocomposite that provides solutions to structural and furniture materials bound with synthetic adhesives.