Abstract
Polymeric composites reinforced with plant fibers have numerous advantages, such as low cost, high raw material availability and good physical, mechanical and thermal properties. Thus, in recent years, they have been studied as thermal insulation substitutes for synthetic polymers in buildings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technological properties of castor oil–based polyurethane composites reinforced with coconut fibers treated with hot water, alkaline solutions of NaOH and Ca(OH)2 and corona discharge and without surface treatment as materials for the thermal insulation of buildings. The composites were produced by the hand lay–up method followed by compression; 10% by weight coconut fibers were used to replace the synthetic polymer. Specimens were produced, and physical, mechanical, thermal and microstructural tests were performed. The results showed that the polymer had a thermal conductivity of 0.016 W/(mK), while the composites produced with fibers treated with NaOH had a thermal conductivity of 0.028 W/(mK); therefore, these polymers are considered insulating materials (k = 0.01 to 1.0 W/(mK)). Thus, the composites produced with coconut fibers can be considered as lighter, less expensive and environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic polymers.
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Adapted from Faria et al. (2020b)
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The datasets supporting the conclusions are included in the manuscript. Furthermore, the datasets analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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The authors thank the Postgraduate Program in Biomaterials Engineering (PPGBIOMAT) of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) for providing material and infrastructure. The authors are also grateful to the National Council for Scientifc and Technological Development (CNPq) and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). We also thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) for the postdoctoral scholarships (Process APQ-04368-22).
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Douglas Lamounier Faria: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, writing the original draft; Lourival Marin Mendes and José Benedito Guimarães Junior: supervision, funding acquisition, and project administration. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Faria, D.L., Mendes, L.M. & Junior, J.B.G. Effect of surface treatment on the technological properties of coconut fiber–reinforced plant polyurethane composites. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 52124–52140 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25946-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25946-1