| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
The Embira Bark Fiber: a Sustainable Amazon Tape |
| Author(s) |
Marc A. Meyers, Sheron Tavares, Lucas Neuba, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Henry Colorado |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Marc A. Meyers |
| Abstract Scope |
The embira bark fiber plays an important role in the Amazon, somewhat similar to duct tape, and is commonly used for temporary repairs and tying objects. Three similar but distinct embira bark fibers are characterized structurally and mechanically. The bark separates readily into strips with thicknesses between 0.3 and 1 mm, enabling it to be twisted and bent without damage. The structure consists of aligned cellulose fibers bound by lignin and hemicellulose. The tensile strength of the three fibers varies in the range of 25 to 100 MPa. The mechanical strength is measured for different fiber bundle diameters and is found to increase with decreasing diameter. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that degradation of the fibers initiates at 251⁰C, consistent with other lignocellulosic fibers X-ray diffraction identifies two major components: the monoclinic crystalline structure of cellulose and an amorphous phase; the crystallinity index is approximately 50%. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Biomaterials, Mechanical Properties, Characterization |