Effect of Catalysts and Density of Bamboo Wool Cement Board on Physical and Mechanical Properties

Bamboo wool cement board (BWCB) is an alternative to produce a new and sustainable material. Different types of catalysts are used for producing wood-cement composites that provide high properties. For this study, the effect of catalysts has been studied by using calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). The BWCB samples from Dendrocalamus asper (Schult.F) of different density (0.60, 0.80 and 1.00 g/cm3) were produced by using portland cement as adhesive. The physical and mechanical properties of BWCB were investigated. It was found that BWCB gained a significant percentage of dimension stability due to the treatment by CaCl2 catalyst. The water absorption was reduced up to 10 %, whereas water content decreased significantly in BWCB with Ca(OH)2. Flexural strength increased in BWCB with CaCl2, and thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal stability of BWCB increased with CaCl2. Scanning electron micrographs of impact fracture samples are taken to study the mechanism of bamboo/cement interface adhesion due to catalyst. Thus, it can be concluded that the CaCl2 might be a good catalyst for enhancing the properties of BWCB.