Painel aglomerado : uma alternativa ao descarte inadequado das cascas de coco (Cocos nucifera Linnaeus, 1753) no município de João Pessoa/PB

Abstract

The process of coconut consumption and commercialization generates a considerable amount of waste. The commercialization of coconuts generates around 6.7 million tons of shells per year, and despite being a material of plant origin, the high concentration of lignin present in its fibers acts as a barrier to enzymatic and microbial degradation. In addition to this, there is also great concern about the wood waste generated by various sectors. Therefore, it is necessary to study the potential of coconut fiber as a raw material for the production of particleboard panels together with pine wood waste, since in addition to redefining the waste, it is a low-cost and abundant resource that can be widely used in Brazil. The first stage of the research was developed based on the processing of coconut and Pinus sp. shell waste. The second stage deals with the characterization of the materials, essential for understanding the moisture and ash contents, which were found within the literature. FTIR indicating the presence of moisture, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose as components of the raw materials, and the TG analysis indicating the ideal pressing temperature for the next stage. The third stage of the research involves the production of particleboard panels. In total, 25 panels were produced, 5 from each sample group, namely: 100% Pinus sp. residue, 100%, 30%, 20% and 10% coconut residue. In order to verify the quality and resistance of the panels, physical and mechanical tests were carried out, where the panels presented the following characteristics: low density, moisture slightly below the technical standard, high water absorption, but low swelling in thickness, which indicates little deformation in the presence of water, and low TP, MOR and MOE indexes, which suggests fragility in their mechanical properties taking into account the technical standard for medium density panels.