Oil palm fronds, bamboo can be made into plyboard

Plyboard, a good substitute for plywood in the construction industry, can now be made using oil palm fronds and bamboo. The products can be used for walling, ceiling, and furniture making.

Edwin Alido and Edmund Samson, researchers at the Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State College, developed these products. They came up with this technology because plywood has become expensive because of limited wood supply in the market.

Using veneer technology, oil palm fronds and bamboo materials were prepared in strips and then assembled with artistic design on the surface for pre-finish appearance.  The plyboards were bonded with styrofor solvent and then pressed tightly to compact the board.

Before the products were developed, the researchers consulted with some experts in the construction industry to find out the best way on how to develop this new product.

In this technology, bamboos are cut by removing the nodes. Only the nodes are used. The nodes are sliced based on the planned size. Oil palm fronds are also sliced into desired sizes. The sliced materials are air-dried to minimize shrinkage and other deformities. After air-drying, the materials are trimmed and assembled by layer. The board consists of three layers bonded together by paste.  The board is compressed and air-dried. Varnish is applied on the surface for a luster appearance.

According to the researchers, this technology can provide livelihood to the community, and thereby generate additional income and employment. The technology uses indigenous and waste materials. Besides being affordable, this also creates ingenuity by making available decorative designs. 

This technology was sported during the Research and Development Symposium (R&D) in Caraga Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium, the group of R&D agencies of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) in Region 13.  — Leila C. America