From coconut waste to the production of cementitious composites as an alternative for civil construction

Abstract

Economic development based on cleaner industrial technologies has been increasingly studied in recent years. Cementitious composites reinforced with lignocellulosic fibers can be a sustainable alternative for use in engineering. The study aimed to evaluate the technological properties of cementitious composites produced from natural and industrial coconut fiber to compare the reinforcement with wood particles. Physical tests (density, water absorption, and thickness swelling) and mechanical tests (static bending) were carried out in four treatments, which varied the fiber and cement contents. It was found that treatment with natural coconut fiber had the lowest density value, 0.59 g/cm3, and treatment with industrial coconut fiber had the lowest water absorption value for the times and times of 2 and 24 h, 0.19, and 0.38%, respectively, and the treatment with wood particles, the highest values of modulus of elasticity and rupture, 1,897 MPa and 2.44 MPa. The study of the use of lignocellulosic materials as protection in cementitious composites is essential for applications in building constructions to reduce the environmental impacts generated by the generation of waste and use of non-renewable materials and to promote sustainable development.