Propuesta de aprovechamiento del residuo de raquis proveniente de la industria aceitera ecuatoriana en materiales no convencionales

Abstract

In the present work, a composite material was made by thermal compression as a proposal to take advantage of the empty fruit bunch (EFB) from the palm oil extraction industry. The fiber extracted from the EFB was used as reinforcement, and a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol / chemically modified oca starch as matrix.

Initially, the physical-chemical characterization of the fiber was carried out, which consists on the moisture, lignin and cellulose contents. Subsequently, different formulations of the material were prepared under the following variations: fiber content (10%, 20%, 30% and 40%), fiber size (0,42 mm and 0,60 mm) and temperature compression (60°C, 80°C and 100°C), generating a total of eight formulations. Finally, to identify the possible applications of the composite, a basic mechanical characterization traction-deformation was performed in terms of modulus, tensile strength and elongation at breakage. From the results of mechanical behavior, the best material formulation corresponds to the temperature of 100°C, fiber content of 10% and its size of 0,60 mm; additionally, it was determined that the material has the potential to be used in seed transport, packaging, planting and plant containers