Abstract
The bamboo fibers from three Korean bamboo species, Moso, Henon and Timber bamboo, were prepared by disintegration after thermal treatment. The samples were prepared according to the age of growth; bamboo shoots, 20 days and 50 days of growth. The fiber quality was also investigated by morphological and chemical analyses. There was no big difference in the dry mass of fibers among the three bamboo species. However, the dry mass of fibers from 50 days of growth was increased by 34%, whereas it was ranged in 9-20% in the case of fibers from bamboo shoots and 20 days of growth. In the results of morphological analysis, the fibers could be classified as the fibers from metaxylem, the fibers from parenchyma and the fines produced during disintegration. The fibers from 50 days of growth were separated from metaxylem, whereas the fibers from bamboo shoots and 20 days of growth were mainly consisted of fibers from metaxylem and parenchyma. The chemical analysis of fibers showed that the contents of carbohydrates, lignin and extractives were not much affected by thermal treatment.
