Treatment of bamboo with limewater

What is Lime?
Lime has been known for centuries in the sector of buildings. After several decades when it fell into disuse, lime now finds again a new interest particularly in connection with renovation of old buildings.
Lime is a 100% natural since it consists only of stones fired at very high temperatures.

Strictly, it is an oxide of calcium with varying oxide magnesium but the common name of lime can encompass various chemical states of this product.
The quicklime is the direct product of pyrolysis of limestone, mainly of calcium oxide (CaO).
The lime or slaked lime is obtained by the reaction of quicklime with water. It consists mainly of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2).
Other forms of lime have common applications in agriculture and gardening, including dolomic lime containing magnesium and hydrated lime.

What are the properties of lime?
- Natural product
- Healthy and Green
- Antiseptic
- Antifungal
- Disinfectant
- Antistatic
- Protection against insects - Insect Repellent
- Good thermal and sound insulation
- Anti-humidity excellent adaptation to changes in temperature and freezing
- Apply to walls: Great diffusing capacity (let the walls breathe)
- An excellent fire retardant.

In terms of ecology, the lime does not contain any product of petroleum chemistry. Lime residues can even be composted.

Bamboo culm ready to be treated

Healthily, lime contains no formaldehyde or VOCs and no other allergen product. With its antistatic properties, the amount of dust is minimized. Moreover it is naturally antifungal and is ideal for wet rooms. Lime is recommended for people suffering from allergies, from various sensitivities and, of course, for anyone concerned about his health.

Given these many properties of lime, and aiming to provide a 100% eco-friendly and non-toxic treatment for our bamboo, Chalet & Bamboo has developed a unique method of treatment with “lime water”.

How is the water lime treatment?
To prepare lime water, we mix the lime (slaked lime) with water. It is sparsely soluble, it is necessary to stir the mixture for some time. This step results in a white solution called milk of lime, which is a suspension of calcium hydroxide particles in water.
To eliminate the unsolved lime in suspension, we proceed to a decantation of the milk of lime for 24 hours. As a result we obtain the lime water, a clear solution.

Lime Water

Lime water is the common name for saturated calcium hydroxide solution (Ca (OH) 2)
In contact of carbon dioxide (CO2) it will form calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can be seen as a white film on the surface of the lime water.

Once limewater ready, it is transferred by gravity into the basin where we placed the bamboo to be treated. Bamboos are impregnated with lime water by soaking for one week.
As with borax, it is important to perform this treatment on freshly cut bamboo. Indeed, unlike wood, bamboo undergoes anatomical changes and begins to shrink once it begins to lose water.

Sap in the vessels is precipitated, clogging the openings to the adjacent tissues. This reduces the treatability of bamboo and therefore the diffusion of preservative agents in the cells of bamboo.