Abstract
Rural areas provide, in addition to food, raw materials to industry, and despite its importance, these areas and their processes are not independent of causing negative impacts on environment, so, as a development strategy for these territories, it is proposed the eco-design of high-value products, free of toxic compounds that help to reduce soil, air and water pollution and at the same time increase productivity and competitiveness. Due to the economic impact of cosmetic products and the need for energy to carry out agro-industrial processes, raw materials that can be used in these two sectors were selected; Then, an inventory of raw materials with high potential to produce cosmetic products and the availability of residual biomass with energetic characteristics was carried out. The selected species were corn, coconut, and wood such as eucalyptus. Gross Calorific Value of coconut residues is highest (10443 Btu/lb) compared with maize residues (8841 Btu/lb) and eucalyptus wood (8310 Btu/lb); residual moisture and volatile matter are higher for coconut waste, compare with maize waste and eucalyptus wood too. According with results, briquettes of agro-industrial wastes (coconut and maize) were made and evaluated in combustion, although they have values of calorific power lower than pure material, there is the advantage that they can be a better alternative to be used as solid fuel.
Briquettes with the best performance were coconut with a Gross calorific value of 9235 Btu / lb, although the percentage of ash was higher in the residues of ground corn (zea mays) (3.87% on dry basis). Eucalyptus oil and coconut oil were evaluated to prepare cosmetic products, highlighting solid shampoo as an innovative product. Results of this work allowed to establish the potential for the use of the agro-industrial waste studied in processes of energy use for combustion and the acceptability of the elaborated shampoo.
