Hur alkalinitet i cement påverkar biofiber över tid

Sammanfattning

The cement industry contributes significantly to global carbon dioxide emissionsand drives the need for sustainable alternatives such as biofiber reinforcement incement. The highly alkaline environment of cement has the potential to degradebiofibers, which impairs their long term performance. This study investigates themicroscopic effects of the alkaline cement environment on biofibers coated with exfoliated graphite over time. Fibers from sugarcane and corrugated paper were coatedwith exfoliated graphite using two distinct methods. The fibers were exposed to analkaline solution for 1, 7 and 28 days. The samples were analyzed using FTIR, XRD,SEM, EDS and TGA. Results indicate that the exfoliated graphite coating had animpact on the surface interaction between the biofiber and the alkaline solutionby affecting the deposition of Calcium (Ca) on the biofiber surface. Additionallythe thermal stability of the biofiber differed depending on whether the coating waspresent after conditioning for 28 days. One of the methods yielded a significantlybetter coating and higher chemical stability than the other method. Some structural degradation may still have occurred depending on the fiber type and applicationmethod. The coated biofibers demonstrated better resistance and stability comparedto uncoated reference samples. Exfoliated graphite coating provides a potential forprotecting biofibers in an alkaline environment like cement. Future research mustaddress long term exposure and process upscaling before industrial implementation.