Abstract :
This paper describes the development of
eco-friendly bamboo and wood fibre cement composites
from agriculture wastes for applications in the housing and
building industries, and for sustainable infrastructure
regeneration. Bamboo flakes and fibres from oil palm tree
fronds were produced and tested for their sugar content and
effect on the setting and strength development of the
portland cement matrix. To counteract the adverse effects
on cement hydration, chemical accelerators, cement
replacement materials or a combination of both were used
in the manufacture of the composite boards. With the
bamboo, the composition of the particleboard was optimized
in terms of bamboo–cement ratio and the type and
amount of chemical admixture to produce a composite with
satisfactory strength and dimensional stability. For the
production of wood fibre cement composites, cement
replacement materials such as fly ash, rice husk ash and
latex were used in conjunction with chemical admixtures to
counteract the adverse effect on the hydration characteristics
of the cement matrix. Tests were then carried out to
optimize the amount and type of cement replacement
material and chemical admixtures to produce boards with
adequate strength and dimensional stability. All the
strength and dimensional stability tests reported in the
paper were carried out according to Malaysian Standard
MS 934. The paper emphasizes the need for holistic design
combining chemical admixtures, cement replacement
materials and modern production technology to produce a
wide range of cement-bonded composite boards, which
will satisfy international standards and can be widely used
for infrastructure regeneration.
