Asian countries have abundant resources of natural fibers, but unfortunately, they have not been optimally utilized. The facts showed that from 2014 to 2020, there was a shortfall in meeting national demand of over USD 2.75 million per year. Therefore, in order to develop the utilization and improve the economic potential as well as the sustainability of natural fibers, a comprehensive review is required. The study aimed to demonstrate the availability, technological processing, and socio-economical aspects of natural fibers. Although many studies have been conducted on this material, it is necessary to revisit their potential from those perspectives to maximize their use. The renewability and biodegradability of natural fiber are part of the fascinating properties that lead to their prospective use in automotive, aerospace industries, structural and building constructions, bio packaging, textiles, biomedical applications, and military vehicles. To increase the range of applications, relevant technologies in conjunction with social approaches are very important. Hence, in the future, the utilization can be expanded in many fields by considering the basic characteristics and appropriate technologies of the natural fibers. Selecting the most prospective natural fiber for creating national products can be assisted by providing an integrated management system from a digitalized information on potential and related technological approaches. To make it happens, collaborations between stakeholders from the national R&D agency, the government as policy maker, and academic institutions to develop national bioproducts based on domestic innovation in order to move the circular economy forward are essential.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has become a popular engineered wood product due to its innovative properties and rapid development, which involves the use of various wood species and adhesives. This study aimed to assess the effect of glue application on the bonding strength, delamination, and wood failure of CLT made from jabon wood and bonded with a cold-setting melamine-based adhesive at three different rates: 250, 280, and 300 g/m². The adhesive was composed of melamine–formaldehyde (MF) by adding 5% citric acid, 3% polymeric 4,4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI), and 10% wheat flour. Adding these ingredients increased the adhesive viscosity and decreased the gelation time. The CLT samples, made using cold pressing in the melamine-based adhesive at a pressure of 1.0 MPa for 2 h, were evaluated as per the standard EN 16531:2021. The results revealed that a higher glue spread resulted in a greater bonding strength, lower delamination, and a higher wood failure. The glue spread was shown to have a more significant influence on wood failure compared with delamination and the bonding strength. The application of 300 g/m² glue spread (MF-1) on the jabon CLT led to a product that met the standard requirements. The use of modified MF in cold-setting adhesive produced a potential product that could be a feasible option for future CLT production in terms of its lower heat energy consumption.

Using bamboo particle board as a wall divider, a furniture component, or an automotive component with a sound absorber function may be a viable option for architects and engineers seeking to achieve desired acoustical qualities, including noise reduction. However, there is still a dearth of research on the effect of particle board finishing and coatings on acoustical sound absorption and noise reduction qualities. This study, therefore, aims to determine the surface characteristics and acoustical properties of bamboo particle board, coated with polyurethane (PU). The single-layer homogeneous particle boards were constructed using particles classified as fine and coarse with two different board densities, and coated with a high-quality PU lacquer. This study found that the coating treatment of 0.3 mm 0.6 mm succeeded to significantly decrease surface roughness, as well as thickness, swelling, and water absorption, with the thickness coating as a dominant factor compared with board density and board particle size. Adding a PU coating increases sound absorption performance at low frequencies, but significantly reduces acoustical properties at high frequencies. The increase of particle board density leads to the decrease in noise reduction coefficient capability. Results obtained from this study are useful to determine the optimal coating thickness in terms of evaluating acoustical panel products.

The pseudostem of banana (Musa sp.) has a high value for fiber. In this study, we characterized two wild Musa acuminata, i.e., ssp. malaccensis (LIPI-030) (M1) and var. breviformis (LIPI-218) (M3), an accession of diploid M. acuminata cultivar “Pisang Rejang” (LIPI-048) (M2) and one accession M. balbisiana “Pisang Klutuk” (LIPI-054) (M4) for its chemical (including Syringyl (S) and Guaiacyl (G) ratio) physical and mechanical properties, fiber analysis, morphological analysis, functional groups, crystallinity, and thermal analysis. As a result, there are variations in chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, fiber length and diameter, crystallinity, and thermal analysis behavior for each banana species. “Pisang Klutuk” showed the most different characteristics compared to others. The cellulose content of all banana fibers has a close correlation with their tensile strength. Based on the fiber properties evaluation, var. breviformis (M3) has a tensile strength of 459.99 MPa, cellulose content of 33.30%, degree of crystallinity of 45.23%, degree of polymerization of 1199.15, and S/G ratio of 0.39 that suggested the most potential banana for fiber with high strength. The lignin S/G ratio of banana samples (M1-M2) showed a positive correlation with the degree of crystallinity and tensile strength, while it had a negative one with tensile modulus and strain. This study presented the importance of the S/G ratio and fiber properties that may aid the future application of Indonesian fiber in biomass conversion strategies.

The surface roughness and wettability of wood are critical aspects to consider when producing laminated wood products with adhesive applications. This study aims to investigate the surface roughness and dynamic wettability of Jabon wood in the presence of melamine formaldehyde (MF)-based adhesives. Commercial MF adhesives (MF-0) and modified MF adhesives (MF-1) were applied to Jabon wood, which includes tangential (T), radial (R), and semi-radial (T/R) surfaces. The surface roughness of Jabon wood was assessed using a portable stylus-type profilometer. The low-bond axisymmetric drop shape analysis (LB-ADSA) method was employed to identify the contact angle (θ) of the MF-based adhesives on Jabon wood. The wettability was determined by evaluating the constant contact angle change rate (K value) using the Shi and Gardner (S/G) model. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was employed to investigate the viscoelastic characteristics of the interphase analysis of the wood and MF-based adhesives. The roughness level (Ra) of the Jabon board ranged from 5.62 to 6.94 µm, with the T/R having a higher level of roughness than the R and T. MF-0 exhibited a higher K value (0.262–0.331) than MF-1 (0.136–0.212), indicating that MF-0 wets the surface of Jabon wood more easily than MF-1. The wood–MF-0 interphase reached a maximum stiffness of 957 N/m at 123.0 °C, while the wood–MF-1 had a maximum stiffness of 2734 N/m at 110.5 °C. In addition, the wood–MF-0 had a maximum storage modulus of 12,650 MPa at a temperature of 128.9 °C, while the wood–MF-1 had a maximum storage modulus of 22,950 MPa at 113.5 °C.

High demand for Agarwood (Gaharu) from natural forest causes the decreasing of their population. In 2004, Indonesia proposed that all natural Agarwood from Gyrinops and Aquilaria generas should be included in the Appendix II CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) list, which could be internationally traded but in certain quota. This paper deals with anatomical observation and characterization on basic properties to find out the difference between Gyrinops and Aquilaria for classification and standardization. Explorations have been conducted at community forests in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara for Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg) Domke; while A. malaccensis Benth., A. microcarpa Baill., A. beccariana Tiegh., and Aquilaria sp. were extracted from Sangau and Ketapang Regencies, West Kalimantan. Wood samples were taken by drilling the trees stem by using a Drill tool to get a pencil-shaped sample of about 20 cm in length and 0.5 cm in diameter. Another sample in form of chips contain bark and wood were also extracted. The results showed that the average specific gravity of Gyrinops and Aquilaria was between 0.31 – 0.35, therefore it was included in the Strength Class IV. Chemical components of injured G. versteegii contained 50.74% holocelullose, 30.50% α-cellulose, 31.98% lignin, and 16.69% extractives. The composition of ray cells in G. versteegii was more complex than Aquilaria generas.