Artigo
Curauá fibers in the automobile industry - a sustainability assessment
Fecha
2007-03-14Registro en:
Journal of Cleaner Production, v. 15, n. 11-12, p. 1032-1040, 2007.
0959-6526
10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.05.036
2-s2.0-33847694348
Autor
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA)
Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Volkswagen AutoUni
Resumen
Replacing glass fibers with natural fibers in the automobile industry can yield economic, environmental and social benefits. This article evaluates the prospective environmental impacts of automobile applications of curauá fiber (Ananas erectifolius), which nearly equates the physical properties of glass fibers. The study identified economic and social advantages of applying curauá fiber composites in car parts. Besides costing 50% less than fiber glass, the use of curauá fibers can promote regional development in the Amazon region. In order to realize significant environmental benefits, however, the curauá-based composites would have to be lighter than their glass fiber-based counterparts. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.