Development of a biodegradable composite material from agave fibers and wheat gluten

Using waste from the agri-food industry promotes ecological construction and adds value to waste. This research focused on the use of agave angustifolia fiber as reinforcement and wheat gluten as a matrix to develop biodegradable ceiling panels. Chemical treatments were carried out with NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH) 2 which were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and breaking strength (BS) of a single fiber. The fibers modified with NaOH presented superior resistance, suitable for generating mixtures with concentrations of 50/50, 60/40, and 70/30% fiber/gluten. The biodegradable panels (PB) presented BS and bending of 49 and 60 MPa, respectively, compared to the commercial panels (8 and 17 MPa, respectively) made with mineral fiber. The PB that showed the best results in most of the tests was the sample generated using modified fibers with a concentration of 60/40% fiber/gluten. PBs meet most performance requirements and show high potential to replace today’s mineral fiber-based commercial ceilings. Graphical abstract