La presente investigación caracterizó los residuos de la cosecha de plátano (Musa Paradisiaca Spp) que se producen en la vereda la Alejandra, municipio del Zulia, Norte de Santander, Colombia. El objetivo del estudio es identificar propiedades que puedan ser útiles para su incorporación en los procesos industriales de la región, fortaleciendo la economía circular del departamento y ayudando a reducir las afectaciones al medioambiente que se generan por un mal manejo de los residuos. Las partes de la planta que se estudiaron pertenecen al pesudotallo, el raquis, las hojas y las cascaras, se tomaron medidas de humedad en cada muestra. Una vez secos, se molturaron a fin de preparar harinas, determinado la granulometría y el rendimiento de la molienda en dos tipos de molinos comúnmente utilizados en la región (martillo y de disco). Finalmente, se calcinó las harinas conforme a las normas ISO 2171 y NTC 282, obteniendo cenizas a las que se realizaron ensayos de fluorescencia de rayos X, para estimar la constitución química de las muestras. Los resultados mostraron gran cantidad de agua en la composición general de los desechos en verde, el rendimiento de los molinos fue muy similar, sin embargo, la granulometría fue distinta, consiguiéndose granos de menor diámetro en las harinas producidas en el molino de martillo respecto al de disco. La composición química reveló una alta concentración de K2O seguido de otros óxidos como CaO, P2O5.y SiO2, principalmente. Los valores de los análisis muestran condiciones favorables para aplicaciones industriales, especialmente en el sector de alimentos, químico y de papel.

In this work residues from the combustion process of the mineral coal used to generate energy in the kilns of the ceramic industry in the metropolitan area of San José de Cúcuta were collected and characterized. The material collected was subjected to grain size reduction and characterized by gravimetric thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, microstructural analysis by X ray diffraction and chemical composition from X-ray fluorescence. The results obtained show that the unburned bodies coming from Colmena kilns (which are currently discarded) still have a very high concentration of organic phase that can provide energy to the ceramic process through combustion, if they are subjected to firing temperatures above 650 °C. On the other hand, the characterization obtained shows that chemically these unburned bodies are rich in inorganic elements such as silicon, aluminum and calcium, which are present in the material as amorphous (91.9% w/w) and crystalline phase (8.1% w/w), with quartz and mullite as relevant crystalline phases. It was established that this waste can be used as a substitute of clay materials in the manufacture of construction ceramics.

In Norte de Santander, Colombia, there is a ceramic cluster made up of 59 companies dedicated to the production of construction materials derived from clay, a vernacular material with a wide extraction potential in the region. Fired clay products in different hollow block presentations represent 15% of industrial production, these construction pieces are low cost and show a high demand in the local masonry market, therefore, their thermo-physical characteristics largely build the thermal envelope of “Cucuteña”. This research comparatively evaluates the thermal behavior of four types of ceramic blocks with different perforations, applying the finite element method in thermal simulations that consider a conductivity of 0.407 W/m°C in the ceramic to establish the influence of the shape on the temperature distribution and heat flow profiles of each piece subjected to environmental conditions of a warm semi-arid climate, with average maximum temperatures of 33 °C and an average maximum solar radiation of 796.8 Wh/m2 under extreme climatic conditions in the city of San Jose de Cúcuta, Colombia. The results of the study allow identifying the ceramic block of 6 rectangular holes as the product that, due to its physical characteristics, presents a better alternative to be applied in constructions that seek thermal efficiency.