Spiny bamboo is a densely tufted, sympodial bamboo, with spiny basal branches forming a densely

interlaced thicket to 2 - 3 metres high[310

]. The erect culms are up to 15 - 25 metres tall and 20cm in diameter[310

, 418

].

This is the most important bamboo in the Philippines for providing material for construction etc. It has
long been cultivated on a local scale but is now also grown on a large scale and exported as a raw
material or finished goods to many other countries[310

]. The plant is also often grown as an ornamental[266

A plant of the lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 300 metres. It grows best in areas
where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 32°c, but can tolerate 8 - 37°c[418

]. It can be killed by temperatures of -1°c or lower[418

]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 5,000mm[418

].

Plants grow best on heavier, fertile soils[310

]. Intolerant of saline soils[310

]. Tolerant of occasional inundation of the soil[418

].Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7[418

].

Planted culm cuttings at first send up thin shoots and culms are produced only after about 3 years. The
number and size of the culms produced increases yearly until the clump reaches maturity. A planted
cutting develops into a harvestable clump in 6 - 8 years. A mature clump (containing 10 - 40 culms) may
develop about 30 shoots per year of which only about one-third to one-fourth reaches maturity because
of diseases and pests, wind damage, and shortage of water and nutrients[310

].

New shoots emerge during the rainy season and can be harvested for food after 7 - 15 days[310

].

Bamboos have an interesting method of growth. Each plant produces a number of new stems annually -
these stems grow to their maximum height in their first year of growth, subsequent growth in the stem
being limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. In the case of some mature tropical
species the new stem could be as much as 30 metres tall, with daily increases in height of 30cm or more
during their peak growth time. This makes them some of the fastest-growing species in the world[K

The computation showed that there is at least a total of about 39,211 to 52,711 ha of production area
for erect bamboos with an expected production of approximately 29 to 52 million harvestable poles per
year. Of these volumes, about 65 to 68 percent will come from forestlands, 22 to 25 percent from
natural stands, 5 to 5.5 percent from private plantations and 3 to 4 percent from government
plantations. This data is rather high compared to the figures presented in Table 3 where only 626,889
pieces of bamboo were gathered from forestlands in 1996
Superplasticizers, also known as plasticizers or high-range water reducers (HRWR), reduce water content
by 12 to 30 percent and can be added to concrete with a low-to-normal slump and water-cement ratio
to make high-slump flowing concrete. Flowing concrete is a highly fluid but workable concrete that can
be placed with little or no vibration or compaction. The effect of superplasticizers lasts only 30 to 60
minutes, depending on the brand and dosage rate, and is followed by a rapid loss in workability. As a
result of the slump loss, superplasticizers are usually added to concrete at the jobsite. America's cement
manufacturer

Pozzolanic materials are unique among SCMs in that they have long been recognized for their ability to
react with calcium hydroxide (typically in the form of hydrated lime), in the absence of OPC, to
contribute to the durability of earthen and masonry building materials. Pozzolans have been utilized to
this end for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Rome and Egypt.

A new way of processing rice husks for use in concrete could lead to a boom in green construction.

Rice husks form small cases around edible kernels of rice and are rich in silicon dioxide, an essential
ingredient in concrete. Scientists have recognized the potential value of rice husks as a building material
for decades, but past attempts to burn it produced an ash too contaminated with carbon to be useful as
a cement substitute.

The world's penchant for consuming concrete is a huge problem for climate change. Every ton of
cement manufactured for use in concrete emits a ton of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into
the atmosphere. Worldwide, cement production accounts for about 5 percent of all CO2 emissions
related to human activity.

Now, Rajan Vempati of ChK Group, Inc. in Plano, Texas, and a team of researchers have figured out a
way to make nearly carbon-free rice husk ash. Heating husks to 800 degrees centigrade (1,472 degrees
Fahrenheit) in an oxygen-free furnace drives off carbon, leaving fine particles of nearly pure silica
behind.

"The process emits some CO2, but it's carbon neutral. Any that we emit goes back annually into the rice
paddies," Vempati said.
In recent years, concrete has become a repository for various waste products. Slag from steel mills, coal
fly ash and silica fume — a leftover from the silicon metal industry — all have found second lives as
replacements for carbon-belching Portland cement.

"I think the reason rice husk ash has had difficulty making it into mainstream applications is it typically
comes with quite a high carbon content," Jan Olek of Purdue University, who was not involved in the
study said. "If properly prepared, it could be a very useful, good material for efforts to limit emissions of
carbon dioxide in the concrete industry."

Adding the ash makes concrete stronger and more resistant to corrosion. The team speculates that rice
husk ash could enhance performance by replacing up to 20 percent of the cement typically mixed into
concrete in the construction of skyscrapers, bridges and any structure built on or near water.

Vempati presented his team's results last week at the Green Chemistry and Engineering conference in
College Park, Md.

The researchers are currently working on a pilot operation to test and refine their new method. If it
proves successful, they will begin construction on an full-sized furnace that can produce 15,000 tons of
rice husk ash annually.

If production is scaled up to use all of the rice husks produced in the United States, they could produce
2.1 million tons of ash each year. The potential is even greater overseas, especially in developing
countries such as China and India, where rice and concrete consumption are much higher.

"Even at $500 a ton, that's a billion dollar industry," Vempati said.

© 2012 Discovery Channel

Kawayan tinik is found in lowlands across the country. It grows erect in clumps and extends up to
15-25 m tall with an average culm diameter of 6-10 cm. Its large clumps and spiny branches at its
basal portion are the distinguishing features of this bamboo species.
Kawayan tinik is a good raw material for bamboo parquets and laminated products like tables,
chairs, and doors. Other than producing plywood and tiles, giant bamboo is also used for
construction, pulp, and papermaking