Authors:Abasolo, W.P.
Abstract:The water adsorption potential of two commercially important Philippine rattan species viz., (Calamus ornatus var philippinensis Becc and Calamus merrillii Becc) was evaluated. Fiber saturation point of the canes ranged from 21 – 25% which is lower than wood and more or less similar to bamboo. Fiber saturation point was highly influenced by the fiber distribution including the relative compactness or packing density of the cell wall in the fibrous sheath. The low degree of crystallinity indirectly showed the abundance of amorphous region within the cellulose chain. This indicates the presence of more moisture adsorption sites that could generate higher FSP values. However, this was not observed leading to the conclusion that the fiber wall compactness or relative packing density plays a more active role in regulating the amount of moisture adsorbed by the rattan cell wall.
Keywords:Water adsorption; Calamus ornatus var philipp