The Potentials of Bamboo as Sustainable Building Material: Carbon Dioxide Level Interrogating in an Enclosed Space

Shao Yuet Liew; Naziah Muhamad Salleh

Authors

Shao Yuet Liew School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia
Naziah Muhamad Salleh School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9082-1088

Keywords:

CO2 Level, Building Envelope, Bamboo and Concrete, Sustainable Material

Abstract

The Construction industry is one of the vital industries that drives the economy of basically every country, providing jobs and opportunities in many aspects of the construction process. However, the construction industry is also one of the industries that produces the most CO₂ around the globe, primarily due to the production of cement binder, normally Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), an important concrete material. As concrete is a widely used construction material that is preferred by the industry due to its proven strength and durability, the CO₂ emission also increases not only due to the production of its material, but also due to the properties of concrete, which may cause indoor comfort issues, leading to higher CO₂ emission during the occupation stage. This highlights the importance of considering sustainable and eco-friendly materials in conventional constructions to reduce environmental effects. The hypothesis that “bamboo has lower CO₂ levels as compared to concrete in an enclosed space” will be tested by using an IAQ meter to measure the CO₂ level difference of both bamboo and concrete in a sealed plastic box. The results will be compiled and analysed to determine the difference in CO₂ level between both materials in the plastic box to verify the hypothesis. This paper will acknowledge the researcher and industry stakeholders on the sustainable materials adaptation.

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