Potencial da palmeira de jupati para produção de materiais compósitos

Abstract

The jupati (Raphia Taedigera) is an abundant palm in the Amazon Forest with high potential for reuse. In the north of Brazil, the main purpose of the palm tree is to extract its oil and use the petiole to produce commercial furniture. Evaluating the amount of petiole discarded, an interest in its study "in natura" arose in order to evaluate its chemical and microstructural properties and possible potential for application in different matrices. The objective of this research is, in this context, to verify the feasibility of using particles from the petiole of the jupati in three different composite materials: low-density particleboard, gypsum-based composite and polymeric composite. In both composites, the physical, mechanical and microstructural properties were evaluated. One of the main purposes of these composites was the good thermal and acoustic behavior. New research needs to be carried out, therefore, subjecting the particles to pre-treatments in order to improve the material's properties.