The fique plant (Furcraea sp.) is a native plant of the Andean region with a great capacity to adapt to different environmental conditions, of which only 4% of the plant is used for developing natural fibers. The comprehensive use of fique and its by-products represents a source of opportunities for the industry and can play an important role in achieving sustainable development. The available literature suggests that fique fiber, juice, and bagasse could boost sectors such as agriculture, construction, the pharmaceutical industry, power generation, and the development of environmental solutions, among others. This review article could help researchers to understand the fique production system, introduces research experiences, and analyze the potential of recent developments for the industry.

Many studies available in the literature focus mainly on the mechanical characterization of fiber, leaving out other physicochemical and thermogravimetric analyses that allow for establishing its potential as an engineering material. This study characterizes fique fiber for its potential use as an engineering material. The fiber’s chemical composition and physical, thermal, mechanical, and textile properties were analyzed. The fiber has a high holocellulose content and low lignin and pectin content, indicating its potential as a natural composite material for various applications. Infrared spectrum analysis revealed characteristic bands associated with multiple functional groups. The fiber had monofilaments with diameters around 10 μm and 200 μm, as determined by AFM and SEM images, respectively. Mechanical testing showed the fiber could resist a maximum stress of 355.07 MPa, with an average maximum strain at which breakage occurs of 8.7%. The textile characterization revealed a linear density range of 16.34 to 38.83 tex, with an average value of 25.54 tex and a regain of 13.67%. Thermal analysis showed that the fiber’s weight decreased by around 5% due to moisture removal in the range of 40 °C to 100 °C, followed by weight loss due to thermal degradation of hemicellulose and glycosidic linkages of cellulose ranging from 250 to 320 °C. These characteristics suggest that fique fiber can be used in industries such as packaging, construction, composites, and automotive, among others.

As natural fibers, low-cost biosorbents have proven to be an effective and clean tool to remove textile dyes from wastewater. In this research, the Reactive Black 5 removal ability of original and enzyme-modified natural fibers were assessed. A fiber extracted from a Colombian fique plant (Furcraea sp.) was employed. The effects of fique fiber protonation with different solvents and dye solution pH on RB5 removal were evaluated. The biosorbent chemical composition was modified using the commercial enzymes pectinase, ligninase, and xylanase. The point of zero charge (PZC) of the original and modified material was measured, and the dye removal capacity of the three enzyme-modified fibers was determined. Fiber protonation with 0.1 M HCl and a dye solution with pH of 2.4 increased the RB5 elimination to 49.1%. The change in the fiber chemical composition led to a reduction in the PZC from 5.5 to a 4.7–4.9 range. Pectinase-pretreated fique fibers presented the highest dye removal of 66.29%, representing a 36% increase in RB5 dye removal. Although the original fique fiber showed RB5 dye removal ability, its enzymatic modification changed the charge distribution on the fiber surface, improving the capture of dye molecules. Enzyme modification can be applied to obtain new functionalities for plant fibers as biosorbent materials.

This research presents an experience of post-digital learning of biotechnology in rural areas in Colombia by implementing a massive open online course (MOOC) for biotechnology education called Open Biotec. The objective was to improve Colombian rural development by creating learning communities around five topics: waste management, environmental biotechnology, bioprocesses, alternative energies, and bio-entrepreneurship. The study utilized various methods, including a socioeconomic diagnosis of a subregion of the department of Antioquia, Colombia, and the creation of MOOCs using the Action Research methodology. The pilot test of the training route in biotechnology involved the progressive development of the MOOC courses that comprise it. Around 918 students from rural areas were trained, and statistical analysis showed that the average grade of the students increased significantly from 6.13 to 7.53 and the median from 6.15 to 8.00. The study results demonstrate how the learning experience designed in the Open Biotec MOOC increases the degree of knowledge of students in this field of biotechnology, offering an opportunity to establish sustainable learning communities with participation and collaborative action mediated by virtual tools. The study concludes that rural education in Colombia could be strengthened with a training strategy for rural communities supported by MOOCs focused on the responsible use of local biodiversity from a biotechnological perspective.