Recently, bamboo fiber products have become especially popular, since they, on a par with cotton, have a low price and have a number of features and advantages. We will tell you about them together with the Royal Craft Wood company.
Bamboo fiber is produced from the crop of the same name, a plant that has a record growth rate without the use of chemicals. Some varieties of bamboo gain up to 15-20 meters in height in one month, so it is possible to grow it in very large volumes in a short period of time.
Two types of bamboo fiber can be distinguished – a fiber obtained as a result of exclusively mechanical processing of wood and a fiber obtained using chemical compounds to soften wood. In the first case, the bamboo is repeatedly pressed by pressing, which makes it possible to obtain thin threads of the same thickness. This fiber is more environmentally friendly, and retains more of the original properties of bamboo.
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In the second method, bamboo is soaked in a calcium-sodium solution, then the resulting substance is passed through a kind of sieve, forming threads of the desired thickness. The second method also retains a sufficient number of useful properties of bamboo, while allowing the production of threads of the desired thickness and strength.
Bamboo advantages
Bamboo fiber and products from it are confidently gaining popularity among consumers around the world, and not without reason, since bamboo fiber has a number of useful properties:
- environmental friendliness of production. The ability to produce large volumes of raw materials without the use of chemicals has a beneficial effect on the quality of the resulting material.
- excellent fabric throughput. Air circulates freely within the fabric, giving the skin an extra sense of comfort.
- bactericidal properties of the fabric. In studies, it was found that 70% of the bacteria in bamboo fiber do not survive more than a day.
- this is of course a wonderful tactile effect of bamboo canvas. Bamboo cloth has softness, silkiness, smoothness, when touched with the skin brings only pleasant sensations.
In addition, a huge variety of kitchen utensils can be produced from bamboo. Like this large cutting board (https://royalcraftwood.com/products/bamboo-cutting-board-xxl-20×14):
However, it should be remembered that bamboo tableware and utensils cannot be mostly heated and washed in dishwashers.
The danger of “bamboo” tableware for health
Melamine and formaldehyde are relatively safe only at low temperatures. If the mugs are heated above 70 degrees Celsius, then the release of foreign substances into drinks increases dramatically. More than half of the samples showed excess emissions of harmful substances. “Stay away from bamboo cups,” is consumer advice. Use reusable cups and mugs made from other materials for drinks.”
Tea or coffee are drinks that are drunk hot. Coffee, among other things, is a drink with a pronounced acidity. Therefore, a 3% solution of acetic acid was chosen as a model medium. Cups with the solution were heated to 70 degrees Celsius and kept at this temperature for two hours. In total, seven tests were carried out, after the third and seventh, the content of formaldehyde and melamine in the liquid was measured.
Four of the twelve vessels showed very high levels of melamine after the third cycle, and three more after the seventh cycle. At the same time, the migration of harmful substances only increases with time – after the seventh test, the level of fluid contamination, on average, turned out to be higher. That is, the longer the “bamboo” tableware is used, the higher the level of contamination of the drinks consumed.
