CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FIBER COCUS NUCIFERA L. FOR USE IN FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY

This study aimed to investigate the main chemical compositions and mechanical properties of green coconut fiber from fruits dropped in the town of Francisco Morato - São Paulo to verify the feasibility of use in the footwear sector. In tropical countries like Brazil there is a large consumption of coconut water and green, this raises a problem concerning the final destination of the fruit. Give an applicability for these residues help minimize the environmental problem. We conducted a biological maceration into the fibers, tensile testing and optical microscopy. Was researched literature on the chemical composition of the fibers. The results showed that coconut fibers have the potential to be used as raw material in the construction of portions of shoes, especially at high lignin content present in the walls of the fibers, which provides good flexibility, protection against attack by microorganisms and are renewable.