Tests for Waterproofing Materials, Made of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>

Abstract

Mexican cacti have captivated the scientific community due their extraordinary characteristics and benefits.This research established a new way to use this ancestral plant as a substitute for other construction materials that given their industrial and technological processes have-in several cases-skyrocketed their costs, besides of being a constant hazard for the environment. Thus, by looking back how ancestors used to solve their construction needs, it would ultimately allow us to find better ways to protect the environment. Production process is analyzed; experimented with it; and its prominent characteristics analyzed derived from Opuntia ficus-indica extract combined with other natural materials to be then used it as a waterproofing material.