By TCRN Staff
The Costa Rican-based green business, Materials Ambientales Ecológicos, recently opened a facility that treats bamboo for use in sustainable construction.
The mill specializes in fortifying bamboo with a biopolymer treatment to produce a versatile, durable and affordable building material with many ecological benefits. The plant is located in Naranjito, 20 minutes outside of Quepos, Puntarenas near Manuel Antonio National Park.
“The carbon sequestration alone could reverse the effects of CO2 emissions single handedly in 10 years if we built with bamboo globally,” says Michael Pope, owner of MAE.
Bamboo plants make an important contribution to the planet’s atmosphere by capturing and storing carbon. It is also one of the earth’s fastest growing plants, and can thrive in conditions other crops can’t tolerate.
A biodegradable poly-lactic acid biopolymer extracted from sugar cane residues is used to reinforce the bamboo which triples its breaking point and extends the material’s useful life.
The regenerative nature of bamboo, and abundance of raw materials used in the treatment are only a few reasons bamboo is superior to traditional lumber as a building material.
Replacing lumber with treated bamboo can start to reverse the effects of greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation and pollution within five years.
The price for treated bamboo is comparable to conventional building materials, and will continue to decrease as the product gains popularity.
Treated bamboo can be used to make anything from an attractive and durable cutting board, to a multi story building.
Be part of the carbon reduction effort; build sustainably. We are here to help!
Please visit mae.supplies for more information.
