Produção de compósitos poliméricos a partir dos resíduos do processamento de mandioca

Abstract

The manufacture of cassava starch (Manihot esculenta Crantz) generates excess waste, such as bagasse and manipueira. Cassava bagasse is a moist fibrous waste with a significant amount of starch not extracted during the process. A ton of cassava processed in an average starch factory in Brazil produces approximately 930 kg of bagasse. The growing concern with the environment and sustainable development has focused on the search for new biodegradable materials from the use of agro-industrial wastes. The aim of this study proposes the redefinition of bagasse with a focus on the development of composites. The characterization of the wet residue from a starch factory, with a production capacity of 250 tons of cassava per day, was carried out, analyzing the levels of moisture, ash, starch, cellulose and insoluble fiber. A considerable factor in this research is related to the climatic conditions of cassava planting and the interference in the characterization of bagasse. After a succession of tests, the methodology applied in four composites with different proportions of bagasse, glycerol and emulsifier was presented with evaluation of each composite for color, mechanical properties and biodegradability. The mechanical tests showed that composite 3 has higher tensile strength at 125.33 kPa; on the other hand, composite 2 has greater elongation with 3.46%, both being developed in different proportions with sieved dry bagasse. Differences in obtaining methodologies and in the results of composite characterizations contribute to future studies using cassava bagasse.