Aproveitamento do coco verde no Distrito Federal: potencial e uma avaliação preliminar.

Abstract

Solid waste represents an environmental problem in Brazil due to its per capita growth and the lack of space for proper disposal. Consumed young coconut fruits which had been consumed for its water is one of those wastes. Brazil is a great producer and consumer of coconuts, and in some Brazilian cities the coconuts are about 70% of the waste and the total of waste is calculated, in 2008, of about 2,8 million tons. This waste generates a problem as it takes space (300 coconuts occupy 1 cubic meter), takes more than eight years to decompose, can help in proliferate disease-vectoring insects and generates methane by decomposing. However, coconut fruit waste can be recycled in several products like solid fuel, plant growing substratum, organic plant pots, textiles and panels, among others, which makes the coconut fruit waste feasible for income production. In Brazil there are several enterprises which exploit the coconut fruits. In the Federal District, it was observed that even the region is a great coconut consumer, there is no active organization in collecting and recycling it, and the salesmen who work in coconut commerce ignores the existence of any such activity. A limited research done in some coconut commerce areas indicated that there is a production of about 13.500 cubic meters of coconut waste from those points alone. A cooperative called COOPERCOCO which was created in 2006 is being in process of install a factory for producing panels with coconut fibers. There is, hence, a potential for further studies about the coconut recycling in federal District.