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Recovery of Vegetable Fibers from Licorice Processing Waste and a Case Study for Their Use in Green Building Products

Author

Listed:
  • Luigi Madeo

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria per l’Ambiente, Università della Calabria, I-87036 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy)

  • Anastasia Macario

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria per l’Ambiente, Università della Calabria, I-87036 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy)

  • Sebastiano Candamano

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Energetica e Gestionale, Università della Calabria, I-87036 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy)

  • Pierantonio De Luca

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Energetica e Gestionale, Università della Calabria, I-87036 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy)

Abstract

The present research is aimed at the recovery of vegetable fibers from licorice root processing waste through simple methods that do not involve the use of chemical reagents to guarantee a complete eco-sustainability approach and for their use in the production of fiber-reinforced ecomaterials. The waste was treated through several washing cycles with only water at different temperatures to identify the optimal conditions to obtain clean fibers. The clean fibers and the waste were analyzed and characterized in advance by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microanalysis (EDS) and thermal analysis (DSC). Subsequently, both the clean fibers and the waste were used to produce fiber-reinforced plaster artifacts. The mechanical properties of the artifacts were measured as a function of % clean fibers or untreated waste. The results obtained showed that it is possible to effectively recover clean vegetable fibers from licorice waste through repeated washing cycles of 30 min with only water. By increasing the temperature, the necessary washing cycles decrease, and a good compromise is five washes at 100 °C. The yield of clean fibers compared to waste is 50%. The creation of prototypes of gypsum matrix panels, which incorporate fibers recovered from licorice processing waste through the methodology tested in this study, has also been successfully realized, representing a significant step forward towards practical applications in the field of eco-friendly construction.

Suggested Citation

  • Luigi Madeo & Anastasia Macario & Sebastiano Candamano & Pierantonio De Luca, 2025. "Recovery of Vegetable Fibers from Licorice Processing Waste and a Case Study for Their Use in Green Building Products," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jcltec:v:7:y:2025:i:3:p:55-:d:1695972
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