Cold-Press Manufacturing of Laminated Bamboo and Bamboo–Timber Composites for Sustainable Construction: A Life-Cycle Carbon Assessment

This study examines a cold-press manufacturing method for laminated bamboo and bamboo–timber composites, together with a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint analysis of the produced materials. The proposed material systems are assessed as alternatives to conventional engineered bamboo and to widely used construction materials such as structural steel, concrete, and aluminum. Existing engineered bamboo products are typically manufactured using hot pressing and formaldehyde-based adhesives, both of which contribute to their environmental burden. The present work therefore considers a more practical and environmentally responsible route based on lower-energy processing and lower-emission adhesive systems. Following a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint analysis of the produced materials, the embodied carbon values obtained for the four systems are 473.3, 322.3, 314.2, and 210.3 kg CO2e/m3 for the BBE, BPA, CBE, and CPA specimens, respectively. Relative to conventional hot-pressed laminated bamboo, these values correspond to embodied carbon reductions of 26.8%, 50.1%, 51.4%, and 67.5%, respectively. When the biogenic carbon stored in the bamboo and pine biomass is included, the net carbon balances become −415.5, −607.1, −597.0, and −618.6 kg CO2e/m3, respectively. These results show that the proposed engineered bamboo and bamboo–timber composites offer feasible low-carbon options for construction applications.