Compatibility of vegetable fibers with Portland cement and its relationship with the physical properties

Abstract

A B S T R A C TThe use of vegetable fiber residue in cementitious matrices can be a sustainable technological alternative; however, it still has problems related to the chemical compatibility between the cement and the fibers. The present study evaluated the compatibility of vegetable fibers with cement using three methods of calculation and determined certain physical properties of the fibers and the curve of the temporal evolution of temperature for each composite. The surfaces of the composites were evaluated through atomic force microscope images and the results showed that the pretreatment of fiber washing significantly favors the compatibility with cement for fibers of eucalyptus, coconut and cocoa, with no influence for water hyacinth fiber. Bivariate correlation analyses showed that the compatibility of the composites is favored by the reduction in the degree of swelling, packing density and specific mass. The results showed that there is a potential use of plant fiber in civil construction and that the physical properties of each type of fiber can offer elements for its selection and pretreatment.Compatibilidade de fibras vegetais com cimento Portland e sua relação com as propriedades físicas R E S U M OA utilização de resíduos de fibras vegetais em matrizes cimentícias pode ser uma alternativa tecnológica sustentável porém ainda apresenta problemas relacionados com a compatibilidade química entre o cimento e a fibra. No presente trabalho foi estudada a compatibilidade de resíduos de fibras vegetais com cimento por três métodos de cálculo e determinadas as propriedades físicas das fibras, além de obtida a curva da evolução temporal da temperatura para cada compósito. Foi analisada a superfície dos compósitos a partir de imagens obtidas em microscópio de força atômica cujos resultados indicaram que o tratamento prévio de lavagem da fibra favorece significativamente a compatibilidade com cimento das fibras de eucalipto, coco e de cacau, não tendo influência para a fibra de baronesa; as análises de correlações bivariadas apontam um favorecimento da compatibilidade dos compósitos com a diminuição dos valores de grau de inchamento, densidade pacote e massa específica; os resultados comprovaram que existe um potencial de utilização da fibra vegetal na construção civil e que as propriedades físicas de cada tipo de fibra podem oferecer elementos para sua seleção e pre-tratamento.

Compatibility of Four Tropical Wood Species and Sago Stem to Cement and Properties of Mangium Cement Bonded Particleboard

“…Previous research to estimate the compatibility or inhibitory index of a mixture of cement with lignocellulosic biomass was carried out using the approach of Hofstrand, Moslemi, and Garcia (1984). Some lignocellulosic biomass used in the measurement of the inhibitory index includes Chinese fir and poplar (Wang & Yu, 2012), vegetable residues (Marques et al, 2016), and eight types of hardwood residues from Amazonia Brasil (Castro et al, 2018). This study aimed to determine the compatibility between cement with four tropical wood and sago trunks and to determine the effect of the catalyst MgCl 2 at various levels to its compatibility (inhibition index value).…”

Microstructural and Thermo-Physical Characterization of a Water Hyacinth Petiole for Thermal Insulation Particle Board Manufacture

“…Although it was used in the handicraft sector [20], Water Hyacinth Petiole (WHP) as a construction material has been studied since the 1980s, when plant fibres appeared as an alternative solution to asbestos [21,22]. In addition, it has been analysed as a reinforcement material in concrete, mortars, and cement pastes [23,24,25,26,27], geotextiles [28], soil [8,29,30], or plastic matrices [31,32]. However, its inefficient use in the sector is due to the lack of a complete understanding of the anatomy, structure, and chemical composition of WHP.…”

Asbestos-free autoclaved wood fiber-cement sheets from recycled old corrugated containers and kraft pulp of Douglas fir: properties and scanning electron microscopy

“…In particular, manufacturers of fiber-reinforced cement (FRC) sheets were forced to shift from using asbestos to using other sources of fiber due to health concerns. Synthetic (PVA, glass, steel, carbon, kevlar, polypropylene) as well as natural fibers have been used as possible sources for nonasbestos FRC products (Marques et al 2016, Soydan et al 2018, Frazão et al 2018. Cellulose fibers have emerged as the major replacement material for reinforcing fiber cement composites due to their competitive cost, acceptable fiber properties, and relative energy-efficiency (Cheng et al 2018).…”

“…Although use of asbestos fiber must continue for some time in some countries due to economic and political factors, there is a gap that will eventually need to be filled in developing countries when asbestos is replaced. Inorganic bonded fiber composites studies include alternative fiber sources such as OCC, bagasse, coir, bamboo, groundwood, wheat straw, babaçu fibers, plastic, sisal pulp, coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) and brown pulp (Almeida et al 2002, Abdel-Kader and Darweesh 2010, Araújo et al 2011, Ferraz et al 2011, Teixeira 2012, Marques et al 2016, Farrapo et al 2017.…”