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11 Pág. Instituto de Ciencias Forestales (ICIFOR), Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus C.A. Mey. Soják) is a macrophyte from the Cyperaceae family that grows in the Americas. Recent studies have shown the feasibility of producing binderless boards using different tissues of totora stems. However, no data about the durability of raw totora stems or totora binderless boards have been published before. Therefore, durability tests were conducted to study their durability against wood-decaying organisms. Results showed that binderless boards produced by hot-pressing process showed higher resistance against white-rot fungi and termites than the raw material. Chemical changes induced by the hot-pressing process were studied and compared with observed durability values to identify possible correlations., This work was supported by the Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENESCYT-Ecuador) [Grant number: AR6C-000034-2016].

Totora is an emergent macrophyte with properties and historical uses supporting its potential use in contemporary construction and for reducing pressure on conventional forest plantations by diversifying the sources of biomass-based materials. Recent advances in the wood construction field have demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of using wood-based materials in tall building structures and other massive constructive uses, which could lead to a net reduction in CO₂eq emissions from the construction sector by replacing high-energy consuming materials such as concrete or steel with wood and biomass-based materials. Among these biomass-based materials are non-timber forest products. This category includes plants that can provide important contributions to the construction sector by diversifying the sources of biomass-based materials. One of these plants is totora ( Schoenoplectus californicus (C.A. Mey.) Sojak). Totora is a bulrush that grows in lakes and marshes in the Americas, from California to Chile, and some of the Pacific islands. This bulrush has been used by many cultures as medicine, food, forage, and material for building houses, boats, and different handicrafts. Although several people still use totora to make their handicrafts and rafts, the most important current examples of the use of totora are the floating islands of the Uros in Lake Titicaca. The Uros people have developed traditional techniques for building their homes, boats, and even the artificial islands where they live, with methods based almost exclusively on the totora culms. The studies and experimentation conducted on this plant have underscored its fast growth capacity, high yield values, anatomical and physical properties, and potential environmental benefits. This review aims to analyze the available data on this material regarding its potential for construction, which is intended to foster its research and development as an alternative source of a biomass-based building material.

Different types of non-wood forest products have been used to produce binderless boards with potential environmental benefits. Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus ) is a macrophyte that has long been used for traditional constructions in the Americas; however, its contemporary applications are limited. In this study, the feasibility of producing binderless boards using different tissues of totora stems was studied. The physical characteristics, lower lignin content, and lower solvent extractives content of pith particles caused better particle's interactions that promoted their self-bonding effect that generated better MOR and IB values of pith binderless boards. However, the hygroscopic nature of pith particles also created high TS and WA for pith boards, whereas boards made with the rind, which has higher extractives and lignin content showed the lowest TS and WA values but also lower mechanical resistance. These findings may help understand the potentialities of these biomass resources and optimize the industrial processes for producing construction materials with them.

Palm trees are very fast-growing species. Their management produces annually a large amount of biomass that traditionally has been either disposed of at dumping sites or has been burnt onsite. This paper presents an experimental study to obtain particleboard using this biomass in a low energy process (short pressing time and low pressing temperature), using particles of different sizes from the rachis (midrib) of the three palm species most representative of urban gardening in Spain: canary palm (Phoenix canariensis hort. ex Chabaud), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and washingtonia palm (Washingtonia robusta H. Wendl). Their physical and mechanical properties were tested, and the feasibility of their use as a construction material was evaluated. The results showed that the manufactured particleboard had similar performance to conventional wood particleboard and good thermal insulation properties. Boards made with the canary species showed better mechanical performance. The properties of the particleboard depended on the particle size and species. The use of the pruning waste of palm trees to produce durable materials such as particleboard could be beneficial to the environment since it is a method of carbon fixation, helping to decrease atmospheric pollution and reducing the amount of waste that ends in dumping sites.

The recent advances in the wood construction field have demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of using wood-based materials in tall buildings structures and other constructive uses, which could lead to a net reduction in CO2eq emissions of the construction sector by replacing high-energy consuming materials like concrete or steel, with wood and biomass-based materials. Among these biomass-based materials are the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP)which are plantsthat canprovide important contributionsto the construction sector and help to reduce the net CO2eq emissions of the building industry. One of these plants is the totora (Schoenoplectus Californicus) that has been long used by several communities for making handicrafts and as construction material. Recent studies on this plant have analyzed its properties and its feasibility to be used for producing materials of interest to the contemporary building industry. The totora is a bulrush that grows in lakes and marshes in America from California to Chile and some of the Pacific islands. It grows from the sea level to 4500maasl, it can grow in fresh water and estuaries, and it is resistant to water level changes and drought. This bulrush has been used by many cultures as medicine, food, forage, material for building houses, boats and different handicrafts. The most important examples of the use of totora in the world are the floating islands of the Uros in Lake Titicaca. The Uros people have developed traditional techniques for building their homes, boats, and even the artificial islands where they live on with methods based almost exclusively on the totora. This way of living and production system has been maintained for more than 500 years. This review is about the main constructive techniques that have been used for traditional construction in totora and some of therecent researches that have been made on this subject. Experiments in architecture and industrial design objects made with totora have shown its versatility, durability and high aesthetic value which is exploited in object design and architectural finishes. Additionally, recent studies on the insulating capacity of totora samples have determined an average conductivity of 0,06W/mK, which is comparable to some of the common insulating materials in the current market. The review of the historical uses and recent studies on this material indicate its potential in the contemporary construction field along with other environmental benefits. One of the key features is the totora productivity that can be as much as 56 tons of dry matter per hectare per year, which is near 5 times the average production of a conifer plantation. Therefore, to foster the research about its feasible applications in the contemporary construction field could lead to the reduction of the pressure on wood forests and plantations by developing a new material source for the construction industry.