Coconut Tiles: reducing wasting and improving houses thermal

Ceramic tiles made with the addition of green coconut fiber, improving thermal properties and reusing an organic material that emits greenhouse gases. reducing wasting and improving houses thermal properties for low income communities.

We propose to reduce the irregular disposal of green coconuts in Brazil, after all, currently 6.7 million tons of coconut are discarded every year. This material is found inappropriately on streets, sidewalks and beaches. In addition, this waste, when taken to landfills in the open, leads to the proliferation of garbage and pests. But mainly, the issue with the irregular disposal is that the coconut is a propelling agent of greenhouse gases, as it releases methane gas.

This problem is especially common in tropical countries, however, our current focus is to bring our solution to the population of hot Brazilian regions, thus reaching more than 72 million inhabitants. The focus on such regions is due to their high daily temperatures, which causes illnesses and malaise. Therefore, the tile with the addition of coconut fiber, due to its thermal insulation characteristics, is ideal for use by this public. Furthermore, another problem that we seek to solve is the deficit of ecological building materials. It is worth mentioning that, despite the construction sector being one of the most polluting in the world, it contributes little to the market with less polluting and/or reused materials. Our product, unlike the other options available for purchase, is based on sustainable ideals, providing better quality of life for residents, putting the quality of life of individuals in the first place and with low costs can improve the life of low income communities.

The solution is an ecological tile manufactured with the addition of a percentage of green coconut fiber in its composition, offering better thermal insulation when exposed to heat compared to traditional tiles. The production method used is similar to the manufacture of ceramic products in general on the market, maintaining quality control but improving costs and thermal properties.

Our solution aims to serve the population residing in hot regions, mainly in the North and Northeast of Brazil. Because in this zone there is a higher incidence of the sun, which causes diseases, as can be seen in the graphs in our public survey. Thus, through our tiles, this public will have access to an ecological roof that brings thermal comfort to their homes. Currently, products that are less effective in combating heat and are unsustainable are sold, that is, they contribute to environmental pollution. An example is tiles manufactured with asbestos, as this substance is toxic and a major cause of lung disease and even cancer. However, with our product, the population that suffers from high temperatures and the diseases resulting from them (low blood pressure, migraines, malaise, allergies, etc.), will have a better quality tile available.

Graph 01: "Have you ever suffered from heat-related illnesses?"

Chart description: Blue Color:  Yes, Red Color: No, Yellow Color: I don´t know

All team members are involved in the civil construction market, which in turn was one of the main reasons for having the idea of promoting sustainability in this area. Well, we observe the damage that it brings to the environment on a daily basis, such as demolition, deforestation, etc.

In addition, the city of Macapá- Ap located in the north of Brazil, is where the locus of our research is currently located, the idea starts from a reality of irregular mass disposal of green coconut in one of the main tourist attractions of our city , when we contacted workers in the region, who sell the coconut water consumed on site, we confirmed that the green coconut residue is left on the sidewalks and taken to large dumps, without any collection or recycling system.

With that in mind, our ceramic tile emerges as a solution, aiming to provide assistance to our community in social and environmental aspects, the covering would become extremely useful, as it is one of the main fighters against the incidence of heat. When carrying out market research in 2022, we noticed that the problem could be even greater, among the most varied responses it was common that there were several symptoms due to excessive heat.

Our team is diverse and brings with it the complementation of the main soft skills, such as communication, marketing promotion, design, etc., always aiming to improve the specific skills of each one.

As we live in the northern region of Brazil, we realize that despite ceramic tiled homes performing better in combating heat and providing greater comfort when compared to fiber cement tiles, the second option is constantly chosen for use because it has a lower cost. In a survey carried out by us in 2022, with the participation of inhabitants from different regions of Brazil, 82.2% of people stated that they had already felt thermal discomfort in their homes and 60.9% of the responses confirmed the difficulty in finding ecological products in their homes. construction. Pointing out that the lack of products influences the purchase of consumers.

In addition, green coconut water is consumed throughout Brazil, mainly on beaches, however, the solution we found from this was the use of coconut shell, providing sustainability and a lower market price, the product solves the frequent Irregular disposal of the fruit peel popularized in the country by the large consumption of coconut water, especially on beaches.

Graph 02: ”Do you find it difficult to find sustainable products in civil construction?”

Chart description:Yellow Color: I have never found sustainable products in civil construction, Blues color: Yes, Red color: No.

Graph 03: ”Have you ever felt thermal discomfort in your home?”

Chart description:

Red color: No

Blue color: Yes

When dealing with ecological tiles, most of them are not made of ceramic material. Unlike the other tiles on the market, which are mostly composed only of clay, we add green coconut fiber. Bearing in mind that the properties of resistance and thermal comfort are increased with the addition of green coconut fiber, our solution promotes a better product for the consumer, as well as a reduction of this residue in the environment when it is inserted in the production of a material quality and lower cost.

Our goal is to bring a cheap product to the north and northeast of Brazil, reaching about 900 and 1200 people respectively, democratizing ceramic tiles, which are mostly used "only" by people with high purchasing power. We aim our tiles to be used by people who live in simpler homes. In addition, the ultimate goal of our product is to bring thermoacoustic comfort. To this end, in 2023 we are looking for partners to finance the production of our prototype (around US$86,877.36) and start introducing our roof tile to the market.

Our tiles have as their main production feature the addition of discarded green coconut fiber, which goes through several stages until it is crushed and inserted into the mixture with clay. This fruit in turn represents a bit of the country's history, such as its water is extremely consumed. There are several small producers who make this their source of income, however, after consumption, the coconut is deposited in the environment without proper care, which turns it into a great damage to the environment.

With regard to the production of tiles, the project expects to reach more than 600 Brazilian homes in 1 year. At the moment, we use the project's social media to focus on promoting science and innovation, especially for girls and women (SDG 5), as well as sustainability in civil construction (SDG goal 12), impacting around 300 people.

1- Production Cost: To produce ecological tiles we need a large structure, such as: machinery, production space, distribution and specialized labor.

2- Market Acceptance: Ecological products require a certain amount of popularity, as the vast majority are sold at prices above the market, as well as acceptance of new products with different characteristics.

3- Waste collection: Installation of collection points for green coconut shells in the north of Brazil and partnership with small producers of major brands.

Currently, our partners are the Federal Institute of Amapá (located in the north of Brazil) and Força Meninas. At the Institute we develop our laboratory research. While Força Meninas is currently accelerating the initiative with a grant of R$2,500 and 9 months of mentoring.

The Fiber Tile presents favorable results for being produced in large quantities, being able to serve the hot regions of Brazil that most need heat-resistant and more economical tiles. Our objective is to launch an ecological product at a lower cost in the construction market in order to democratize access to ceramic tiles, which can be used on the roof of any residence, in addition to proposing a sustainable solution for the disposal of green coconut, which in turn is a very popular fruit in Brazil and in several other Latin American countries.

For the supply of the product, we intend to set up an online sales site, where the target audience can have access to product information and make a purchase quote. Sales in physical stores will only be possible through the resale of our product in partner stores in the field of civil construction. In addition, we will be publicizing our solution on the project's social networks.

Currently our research is in the final stage, we have the support of the Federal Institute of Amapá and the sponsorship of third parties who believe in our idea. For the manufacture process of our tiles, we are looking for local partners that will allow us to start the initial production, such as a place to produce, machinery and helpers. In addition, partnership with government agencies to create collection points for green coconut waste.

For the start of independent production, costs are approximated at 442,800 reais. ($86,877.36)

In our financial survey, we concluded that even with all the expenses, the final product will cost less than those on the market.