Engineered Bamboo for Sustainable Construction: A Comprehensive Review of Characterization Methods

Engineered bamboo has been considered a viable replacement for traditional wood and steel for structural and architectural purposes due to its renewable nature, high strength, and compatibility with different processing techniques. This systematic review analyzes the data on the mechanical properties and processing techniques of engineered bamboo products, which include bamboo scrimber, and laminated bamboo. The review reveals that bamboo scrimber has better performance for specific mechanical properties, which include compressive, tensile, and bending strength. Laminated products had higher var-iability, which was often dictated by the adhesives, orientation, and quality of adhesion. The study also considers specifications of manufacturing processes such as adhesive systems, pre-treatment methods and pressing conditions. Moreover, the literature exhib-its considerable inconsistencies in testing standards, reporting practices, and long-term durability evaluations. This review highlights these challenges and provides recom-mendations for future research by improved documentation of processing parameters and further evaluation of environmental durability.