ABSTRACT
Insulation of tropical dwellings may require improved indoor insulation for human comfort due to the possibility of increased atmospheric heating on a global scale. In addition to sequestering atmospheric carbon, utilization of invasive softwoods to produce materials with satisfactory R-values for insulation may be possible. Such utilization includes the production of paper and cardboard. Soaking the softwood Spathodea campanulata with fermenting bamboo as a treatment to dislocate lignin was accomplished in 50 days. The research of novel methods for the efficient and cost-effective extraction of lignin is active. For example, recent work focusing on bamboo biomass makes use of other methods reported in the literature, including use of innovative “green” solvents such as ionic liquids. The chapter aims to determine the ability of leachate from fermentation of bamboo to decrease the rate of fungal degradation of tropical softwood. It suggests that a long soaking period in alcoholic alkali liquor can dislocate lignin from freshly harvested softwood.
