Compatibility of vegetable fibers with Portland cement and its relationship with the physical properties

The use of vegetable fiber residue in cementitious matrices can be a sustainable technological alternative; however, it still has problems related to the chemical compatibility between the cement and the fibers. The present study evaluated the compatibility of vegetable fibers with cement using three methods of calculation and determined certain physical properties of the fibers and the curve of the temporal evolution of temperature for each composite. The surfaces of the composites were evaluated through atomic force microscope images and the results showed that the pretreatment of fiber washing significantly favors the compatibility with cement for fibers of eucalyptus, coconut and cocoa, with no influence for water hyacinth fiber. Bivariate correlation analyses showed that the compatibility of the composites is favored by the reduction in the degree of swelling, packing density and specific mass. The results showed that there is a potential use of plant fiber in civil construction and that the physical properties of each type of fiber can offer elements for its selection and pretreatment.