Development of mortar for laying and coating with pineapple fibers

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest producers of pineapple in the world, which, in addition to bringing substantial benefits, contributes to increasing waste generation in the stages of processing, aiming at its consumption. The Brazilian environmental legislation has been increasingly more restrictive with respect to the disposal of solid waste, whether domestic, industrial or agro-industrial, which has stimulated studies related to the use of these materials in several matrices. This study aimed to evaluate the potentiality of using the natural fiber of pineapple (Ananas comosus), extracted from its leaves, as reinforcing material in cementitious composites. For this purpose, natural fiber extracted from the pineapple crown was incorporated in different percentages in relation to the cement mass: 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10%, and the fibers obtained were submerged in aqueous NaOH solution with 5% concentration in volume, for 1 h at room temperature. The following variables were evaluated: consistency, water retention, incorporated air, mass density in hardened state, mechanical strength, water absorption by immersion and capillarity, besides verifying the influence of the mode of fiber incorporation. It was observed that the treatment with NaOH solution and the percentage of natural pineapple fiber incorporated in up to 5% in relation to the cement mass form mortars with technological feasibility.

Rheological and the Fresh State Properties of Alkali-Activated Mortars by Blast Furnace Slag

“…Some authors [ 18 , 19 , 20 ] describe that the air incorporated in mortars is an indirect parameter of workability, since the greater the incorporated air, the lower the internal friction between the particles that make up the mortar, improving the fluidity and workability of the mortar. From this point of view, the incorporated air acts as a kind of lubricant for the grains of the dry materials (cement, lime, sand, and metakaolin) that make up the material.…”

Luffa fibers as promising reinforcement for polymer composites: Mechanical characterization of NaOH treated and untreated dumbbell test-pieces with Weibull statistics

“…There are many natural fibers types reinforcing composites, almost any country has its own natural fibers. Many of them have shown promising applications in engineering, such as fique, 8 curaua, 9 Cyperus malaccensis Sedge, 10 pineapple 11 and banana fibers. 12 However, none of these fibers shows a 3 D architecture as luffa fiber, 13 which is the object of this research.…”

Natural Fibers as an Alternative to Synthetic Fibers in Reinforcement of Geopolymer Matrices: A Comparative Review

“…An important aspect of natural fibers, which are also directed towards their high moisture absorption, is that cellulose-based fibers are called in the literature as polar and hydrophilic, and their compatibility with cementitious and geopolymeric matrices is correlated with interfacial adhesion and absorption [ 35 ]. The surface treatment process creates an adhesive on the fiber cell wall, which is responsible for binding the cellulose microfibril together, improving the high moisture absorption aspect seen in the fiber in its natural condition [ 36 ].…”