CHARACTERIZATION OF PLANT FIBERS FROM THE AMAZON REGION FOR USE IN ECO-COMPOSITES

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.153122420098

• Palavras-chave: Amazonian plant fibers, Characterization, Ecocomposites, Construction waste

• Keywords: Amazonian plant fibers, Characterization, Ecocomposites, Construction waste

• Abstract:

  Human-caused climate change is being felt in all regions of the planet. This scenario leads to impacts with losses and damage to all communities. Waste from the construction industry is a cause for great concern due to the large volume wasted and the long degradation time. As a result, scientists are studying ways to mitigate the damage caused to nature, both in terms of the depletion of raw materials and the correct way to dispose of them, in search of renewable resources that can be used to produce new materials that serve this industry and do not severely damage the environment. Plant fibers from the Amazon region are widely used in local handicrafts, textiles and other industries, and are of great interest in studies as reinforcements in polymer, ceramic and cement ecocomposites for application, for example, in the area of coating design in civil construction works. The ongoing study has characterized fibres from coconut (Cocos nucifera), curauá (Ananas comosus var. erectifolius) and timbo-açú (Heteropsis flexuosa Araceae), in natura, by the techniques of Stereoscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Mercerization, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and traction for morphological analysis, chemical composition and application in eco-composites. The results indicate the feasibility of using the fibers studied in eco-composites, as the analyses indicate good interaction between the fibers and a possible matrix.