Chemical removal of cutin from bamboo twigs and branches

Cutin is the waxy substance found on the substance found on thesurface of bamboo. It inhibits the adhesion of finishing materials. Palisoc (FPRDI) conducted a study on the chemical removal of cutin from twigs and branches of kauayan tinik (Bambusa blumeana) by boiling in disodium octaborate tetra hydrate (DOT) and slake lime at 5, 10, and 15% concentrations for 30 and 60 minutes. Treated samples were applied with nitrocellulose (NC) lacquer and painted to evaluate their finishing adhesion performance and hot-and-cold-check resistance following ASTMD1211-60 method.

Findings

• Kauayan-tinik twigs and branches treated with 5% DOT and 5% slake lime at 30 minutes boiling exhibited high finishing adhesion when NC lacquer was applied with one coat of sanding sealer.
• The hot-and-cold check test showed that NC lacquer and paint rated high in the three indices of finishing serviceability, appearance, integrity, and protection.
• Using the 5% DOT and boiling for 30 minutes, the chemical removal of cutin was P 0.70 less per piece of 60 cm long bamboo twigs and branches than manual scraping.