The Effect of Bacterial Cellulose on The Thermo Hydro-Mechanical Treatment of Wood Veneer
Wood is the largest source of cellulose in the nature however it has a low strength. In other hand, bacteria cellulose as a pure cellulose has a higher tensile strength than wood. Wood reinforced with bacterial cellulose was produced by self-assembly approach with veneer soak into the fermentation medium. The product of this research is hybrid veneer processed thermos-hydro-mechanical treatment. It has been used to give a change in its mechanical properties. This research analyzed mechanical tensile test, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The result showed that bacteria cellulose had impact to increase tensile strength of veneer and improve the molecular strength between cellulose fibers. Hydrogen bonds were formed between veneer fibers and bacterial cellulose then those bonds stick together and resulted in strong adhesion.