Open Access

ARTICLE

Environmental and Durability Perspective of the Use of Curaua Fiber Treated in Mortars

by Afonso R. G. de Azevedo^1,*, Marcelo Nascimento², Dirlane do Carmo³, Markssuel T. Marvila⁴, Gustavo de C. Xavier¹, Sergio Neves Monteiro⁴

1 UENF—State University of the Northern Rio de Janeiro, LECIV—Civil Engineering Laboratory, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
2 UFF—Federal Fluminense University, TER—Department of Agricultural Engineering, Niterói, Brazil
3 UENF—State University of the Northern Rio de Janeiro, LAMAV—Advanced Materials Laboratory, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
4 IME—Military Institute of Engineering, Department of Materials Science, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

* Corresponding Author: Afonso R. G. de Azevedo. Email:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2022, 10(9), 2409-2429. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2022.020503

Received 27 December 2021; Accepted 13 January 2022; Issue published 30 May 2022

Abstract

The use of natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) as a reinforcement mechanism for cementitious composites, such as mortar, has been investigated in the last decades. However, their application has often been restricted to technological evaluation research. A NLF with great potential the curaua, which after treatment with NaOH solution, proved to be technologically feasible for mortars reinforcement based on cement and lime. The objective of this research was the comparative evaluation between a traditional mortar, based on cement and lime, with 1:1:6:0.8 ratio of cement: lime: sand: water, and a modified mortar with addition of 2 wt.% treated curaua fiber in cement mass by evaluating environmental and durability aspects. After a curing time for 28 days, environmental assessments were carried out and durability methodologies were evaluated. The tests performed were: (i) attack by chlorides and sulfate, (ii) the wetting and drying cycles, and (iii) slake durability test. The results showed that the mortar with the addition of curaua fiber presented a similar behavior to the reference mixture, both in terms of environmental and durability aspects. This modified mortar is able to be used in internal and external environments, the latter with some conditions. Besides, it also contributes to the promotion of sustainable use of curaua fiber.

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Keywords

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