Sustainability and innovation of bamboo winding composite pipe products

Abstract

Bamboo Winding Composite Pipe (BWCP) is a novel product that reintroduces and modernizes the use of bio-based pipes in below ground water reticulation infrastructure, and can replace PVC and concrete pipe in many low to medium pressure water service and sewerage applications. Pipes are built to accommodate service pressures of up to 1.6 MPa, with a long-term hydrostatic pressure projection of 50 years. Maximum burst pressures are up to 3.75 MPa. The new technology overcomes the structure and performance limitations of earlier wood veneer-based hollow tubes by encasing helically wound layers of thin but strong bamboo sliver curtains in a protective matrix of gauze wrap, thermosetting resin and powdered bio-filler. Bamboo has unique and very high tensile strength fiber and aligning this around the pipe circumference produces a high strength, ductile and pressure resistant pipe. This fabrication technology is extremely versatile, producing pipes ranging from 150 mm to 5000 mm in diameter with a wall thickness of 9 mm–38 mm for a wider range of applications including non-round shells for train cars and modular housing construction. An integrated supply chain model of satellite fabrication sites for curtain winding elements at the source and centralized manufacturing of pipes close to market locations can provide employment and income for remote villages and increase transportation efficiency. BWCP is energy efficient, requiring less than a quarter of the energy of steel pipes per meter. It presents a significant potential for carbon storage over time, holding an estimated 0.5 t of sequestered atmospheric CO2 per t of pipe manufactured.