BIET to set up bamboo fibre production unit

The Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology’s (BIET) quest to develop a bamboo fibre production unit has been boosted with Bamboo Society of India (BSI), Bengaluru, and Indore’s Bamboo Mission of India (BMI) deciding to fund the research.

Currently, China is the leading producer of bamboo fibre and supplies to most of the countries. In India, there are no bamboo fibre manufacturers.

Bamboo fibres with their anti-bacterial and UV (ultra violet) resistant properties, can be of great use in medical applications. The bamboo fibres can also be used in energy sector, Prof KS Murugesh Babu, the head of the textiles department at the Davanagere-based BIET said, according to a report in The Times of India.

The department has been carrying out research on bamboo fibres for the last few years under the guidance of Prof Babu and Prof S Chandrashekhar, a faculty of the department.

Prof Babu said, the department presented its works in textile fibres at a recent conference held at Wood Research Institute, Benglauru and also at the Global Bamboo Summit at Indore.

"Impressed by our work, the BSI and BMI have come forward to join hands with us for further research. Recently Sundar Naik of BSI, and R K Mehta, an industrialist from AP, visited our department expressed their desire to have a tie up with us by funding our research,'' Babu said.

In this connection, a pilot report on a laboratory scale will be prepared and submitted to the BSI soon, he said. The project will be taken up by involving mechanical, chemical and textile departments of the BIET.