As a country known for its high biodiversity, Indonesia has hundreds of bamboo species. One of the most common bamboo species of the Gigantochloa genus is the belangke bamboo (G. pruriens), an endemic species spreading across the Karo and Gayo districts in Indonesia. The characterization of belangke bamboo raw materials is a very important factor in determining its suitability for various commercial applications, one of which is as a raw material for manufacturing particleboard. Currently, research data related to belangke bamboo is still rather limited. Dr. Atmawi Darwis and his colleagues analyze the basic properties (chemical composition and physical and mechanical properties) of belangke bamboo and its potential as a particleboard reinforcement material, aimed at increasing the mechanical properties of the boards. The results showed that the addition of belangke bamboo strands as a reinforcing material (surface coating) in particleboards significantly improved the mechanical properties of the boards, increasing the modulus of elasticity and bending strength values of the fabricated composites by 16 and 3 times.

Article Citation:
Iswanto AH, Madyaratri EW, Hutabarat NS, Zunaedi ER, Darwis A, Hidayat W, Susilowati A, Adi DS, Lubis MAR, Sucipto T, Fatriasari W, Antov P, Savov V, Hua LS. (2022). Chemical, Physical, and Mechanical Properties of Belangke Bamboo (Gigantochloa pruriens) and Its Application as a Reinforcing Material in Particleboard Manufacturing. Polymers; 14(15):3111. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153111

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