Microstructure Properties of Decay in Chemically Treated Tropical Bamboo (Gigantochloa scortechinii) via Electron Microscopy

Abstract

This chapter focused on the anatomical structures and microstructures of a three (3) year-old tropical bamboo species Gigantochloa scortechinii. The bamboo culms were randomly selected and felled from forest bamboo stands managed by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), and all culms' age was tagged correctly. The bamboo culms were cut at about 30 cm above ground level. All culms possessed diameters in the ranges of 10 to 12 cm at DBH. An end-coating paint was applied to the cut surface before being transported to the workshop and subsequent laboratories. Electron microscopy with high magnification was used to investigate the effectiveness of the selected chemicals and their application techniques in treating the bamboo culms. The scanning electron microscope was intensively used at the tissue cells level and the transmission electron microscope at the cell walls level. The study focused on tissue such as the vascular bundles, fibers, parenchyma, and areas in the middle lamella located at the middle cross sections at the bottom, middle and top of the bamboo culms at the internodes and nodes of the chemically treated bamboo. The comparison was made to the untreated bamboo culms. The study found that while the qualities of bamboo culms were consistent as they get taller, their anatomical aspects and microstructure alter. The researchers also looked at the differences between SEM and TEM micrographs.