Evaluación del uso potencial de fibras naturales como biomaterial

Costa Rica has exported 1000 tonnes of ornamental or garden plants in 2016 and 2017, including

the production from small and medium entrepreneurs, and cooperatives. Coopeindia R.L is one of

these organizations. It has 116 members, and most of them are coffee farmers located in Palmares,

San Ramón y Naranjo. Due to the international crisis in coffee prices and diseases affecting its

production, Coopeindia has become an important alternative for local farmers. The group has

approached TEC with the interest of seeking other uses than the display of ornamental features for

Dracaena Fragans Massangeana (Dracaena) and Yucca Elephantipes (spineless yucca or Itabo in

Mesoamerican countries), considering the extraction of fibers once, they are characterized and

tested for alternate uses. On the other hand, abaca (Musa textiles) also known as Manila hemp,

produces a natural fiber that is extracted from the leaf stems surrounding the main stem. It is a

native species from the Philippines, broadly distributed throughout the humid tropics. It is commonly

used for special types of paper, and there are over 300 reported products around the world, from

which tea bags and coffee filters are widely known. The abaca fiber is valuable because of its

mechanic resistance, being one of the most endurable and not suffering salty water damage. The

current abaca cultivation area in Costa Rica is estimated in 500 ha, and the world leading German

company called Glatfelter alone, would require at least 2000 ha to export fiber to their processing

facility in the Philippines. If Costa Rica was to expand the abaca cultivated area, it is feasible to

consider the installation of a primary-processing plant in the country, and fiber could be exported

directly to Germany. Besides, the company is willing to export other fibers, if the volume of

production is profitable. Even when there is no scientific information, the Costa Rican fiber is known

for differentiated and superior quality regarding the one from Ecuador and the Philippines; therefore,

its use is reserved for specialized products. The yield in Costa Rica is also superior. Currently, there

are not available studies for the use of residues or rejected ornamental plants for fiber extraction

and its potential use or transformation. This project proposal addresses the problem of the lack of

scientific knowledge and technological know-how regarding the characteristics of ornamental and

abaca fibers, as well as the new uses that would allow added value for these exported products,

generating the opportunity of new entrepreneurships. There are over 100 small abaca farmers in

indigenous regions of Baja Talamanca in Costa Rica, who require technical support from this

project, and over 100 ornamental plants growers needing to add value to their production.

Evaluar el uso potencial de fibras de abacá, dracaena e itabo y sus posibles usos

a nivel nacional como biomaterial

Gestión ambiental en los agronegocios, en la Escuela de Agronegocios