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ABSTRACT
Compressed agricultural fiber panels have the potential to be useful building materials, particularly in situations where wood is scarce or expensive. Bagasse, or sugar cane rind, is an agricultural by-product that is suitable for use in such panels. However, in laboratory tests, Formosan subterranean termites survived as well on bagasse as on Douglas-fir wood. In field tests, termites penetrated both coated and uncoated compressed bagasse panels, causing swelling of the fibers from moisture sorption and deformation of the panels. For use in tropical regions, compressed fiber panels will likely require stabilization of the fibers to minimize swelling and an exterior coating that is impermeable or repellent to termites.
Bagasse, or sugar cane rind, is a fibrous by-product of sugar extraction from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.). Large quantities of this fiber are produced each year by the sugar industry, of which small amounts are used in the manufacture of pulp and paper products and composite materials (10). Bagasse has a chemical composition similar to hardwoods, and bagasse fiber performs similarly to hardwood fiber in board products (10).
Although the environmental merits of cultivating agriculture fibers specifically as replacements for wood are debatable (2,3,12), efficient use of agricultural byproducts is certainly desirable, Moreover, building materials made from local agricultural fibers are attractive options in regions of the world where wood is in short supply and wood products are expensive to import. The Envirocor(TM) panel (Mansion Industries, Inc., City of Industry, Calif.) is a panel made of compressed agricultural fiber such as rye, wheat, barley, rice, or bagasse; it is approximately 40 percent of the density of solid wood (8). Despite the adage against building ones home from straw, this panel has favorable strength and thermal characteristics for use in building construction, particularly when used in a specially-designed modular system (Pyramod(TM)) (4,8). The manufacturing process, in which compacted fibers are forced through a heated extrusion tunnel and the resulting panel is covered by kraft paper bonded with a film of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, is adaptable to local raw materials and production needs in various regions (9).
In addition to the ever-present decay fungi, building materials used in tropical regions such as Hawaii must contend with two serious hazards: moisture and termites. Although panels manufactured...