Composite materials with comparable properties and low environmental impact have been at the forefront of research. In the present work, the mechanical, physics and chemical properties that allow knowing the potential applications of Musa Paradisiaca fibers are evaluated, through an experimental process that starts from the selection of the binder and its fiber/binder ratio through tensile tests. The finally formed material is composed of a matrix of gelatin type C and glycerin and a reinforcement of banana fibers. The compound obtained was characterized by infrared spectroscopy by the Fourier transform, thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy and mechanical tensile and hardness tests. The results obtained from this study allowed confirming the presence of lignin and hemicellulose and evidencing the presence of good mechanical properties with a modulus of elasticity equivalent to 0.57 MPa, a percentage of elongation of 56%, an ultimate tensile strength of 3.5 MPa and a hardness of 82 Shore A, which allows us to consider a biodegradable composite material for applications in which soft gums and elastomers perform. The results obtained allow us to consider other alternatives for the use of Colombian banana fibers, in addition to their use as a biodegradable compound.

The mechanical properties of a biodegradable composite material made with Colombian coconut fibers were studied. The study was carried out considering a random distribution of fibers within the composite material for three fiber/matrix compositions (10, 20 and 30) in weight-to-weight percentage. Each of these was subjected to tensile tests to evaluate the effect of the fibers in each composition, taking into account the mechanical properties of ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus that allow selecting the composition of greater rigidity and subsequently evaluating its properties under the effects of compression forces. The results obtained show that the more rigid composite material corresponds to the fiber/matrix 20 percent composition, which presented a tensile strength of 13.83 MPa and an elastic modulus of 924.46 MPa comparable with those reported in the literature. This composition is the most fragile with a percentage of elongation is 2.27% and with low tenacity to withstand impact efforts. Finally, the behavior of the more rigid material was compared with the mechanics of Ramberg-Osgood and Hollomon, the latter being the most adjusted allowing to predict the properties of this type of materials. The results obtained expand the uses of Colombian coconut fibers as a biodegradable composite.