Leather substitute based on natural black cabuya fiber (agave cordillerensis)

Abstract

Black cabuya (Agave cordillerensis) is a rosette plant that is easily found in the inter-Andean zone of Ecuador and is used for therapeutic and food purposes. Since ancient times, mechanical treatments have been used to obtain fibers, which are generally used in the manufacture of ropes, sacks, and thin fabric production. In this research, the high percentage of fiber in black cabuya (Agave cordillerensis) was used to obtain a leather substitute. For the treatment of the fiber, a mechanical technique using blows was used, which was noted for being economical since it was not necessary to perform a bleaching process on the obtained fiber. For the formulation of the leather substitute, different percentages of fiber were used (30%, 50% and 60%), in addition, the distribution of the fiber was taken into consideration (random, 45º and 90º) to make a fabric, which was covered by a mixture of resins (RD-A and RD-U). The best formulation was 50% polyester with a thickness of 0.05 mm, 50% black cabuya fiber woven completely at random with a thickness of 0.03 mm and 25 ml of RD-A and RD-U resins. Mechanical tests of elongation, lastometry and tension were carried out on the obtained product. The results of the mechanical tests demonstrated that black cabuya fiber (Agave cordillerensis) is a suitable raw material for obtaining a leather substitute since, in the production process, environmental pollution is considerably minimized.