RESUMEN El principal objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar los residuos sólidos de Colombia con respecto a la tendencia general del producto interno bruto del país. El método seguido fue el análisis y el procesamiento de datos oficales y no oficiales para construir información útil, tal como el producto interno bruto, discutido con respecto a los residuos generados. Dado que los problemas de los residuos generados exigen y requieren soluciones multidisciplinares, los aspectos legales y culturales también se consideran en la discusión. La principal contribución de esta investigación son los datos nuevos, analizados y consolidados con respecto al modelo económico actual en Colombia para la implementación de una economía sostenible, presentada con respecto a América Latina y a algunas de las principales economías mundiales. La investigación se ha centrado en los sectores que están menos desarrollados con la generación de desechos sólidos, particularmente con el PIB de los desechos de construcción y demolición, y desechos mineros, que son de gran interés en Colombia por su tipo de industria.

ABSTRACT The main goal in this research is to study the Colombia’s solid waste in relation to the general trends of the gross domestic product of the country, a more general overview of the situation with respect to other neighbor countries and some leading economies. The method followed was the analysis and processing of the official and unofficial data of the country, for constructing useful information such as the gross domestic product (GDP), discussed in relation to the generated waste. Since waste related issues demand and requires multi-disciplinary solutions, legal and cultural aspects are also considered in the discussion. The main contribution of this research is new, analized and consolidated data regarding the current economic model in Colombia towards the implementation of a sustainable economy, presented with respect to Latin American and to some leading world economies as well. The investigation has been focused on the sectors that are less-known with respect to the solid waste generation, particularly to the GDP of the construction and demolition waste, and mining wastes, which are of great interest in Colombia for its type of industry.

The fique is a plant typical of the Colombian Andes, from which relatively common items are fabricated. One of these is woven fabric extensively applied in sackcloths. The mechanical strength of fique fabric have motivated recent investigations on possible reinforcement of polymer matrix composites. For this purpose its thermo-mechanical behavior was unveiled. In particular, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of fique fabric reinforced polyester matrix composites disclosed improved viscoelastic behavior in association with change in the glass transition temperature. The present work extends this investigation to epoxy matrix, which is one of the most employed thermoset polymer for composite matrix. Fique fabric volumetric fractions of up to 50% are for the first time incorporated into epoxy composites. It was found that these incorporations significantly increased the viscoelastic stiffness of the composite, given by the storage modulus (E’), in the temperature interval from -50 to 170°C. An accentuated softening in viscoelastic stiffness was revealed for all composites above 75°C. Peaks in both the loss modulus (E”) and tangent delta (tan δ), respectively associated with the lower and upper limits of the glass transition temperature, were shifted towards higher temperatures with increasing amount of fique fabric.

Abstract: This is an investigation into asphalt binder mixed with different amounts of an organic waste containing coconut coir dust and residual short coconut fibers abundant in the Caribbean and tropical countries. The concentrations used were 0.0, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0wt%. Coconut coir is a type of organic waste produced in large quantities in Caribbean region of Colombia. It is composed of grinded mesocarp, which is the fibrous husk of the coconut fruit, and is currently used in agriculture, ornaments and crafts. This waste is a very stable and strong material suitable for use in structural applications such as the reinforcement of composite materials. In this investigation, materials characterization was conducted using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy to analyze the microstructure of samples. Particle size distribution tests were also included to analyze the short coconut fibers. Penetration, softening point, penetration index, viscosity, flash point, fire point and ductility performance tests were also carried out on the asphalt mixes. Overall, these tests revealed that asphalt formulations can be used in selected construction and building material applications.

Resumen: Esta es una investigación sobre asfalto mezclado con diferentes cantidades de un residuo orgánico de polvo de corteza y fibras residuales de coco muy abundante en países del Caribe y del Trópico. Se han fabricado muestras con 0.0, 1.0, 2.5 y 5.0% en peso del residuo. Este residuo es un tipo de residuo orgánico producido en grandes cantidades en la región caribe de Colombia. Se compone del mesocarpio molido, el cual se encuentra en la corteza fibrosa del coco, y es actualmente usado en agricultura, adornos y artesanías. Este residuo es un material muy estable y resistente, además de versátil para su uso en aplicaciones estructurales tales como refuerzo en materiales compuestos. En este trabajo, la caracterización de los materiales se realizó mediante espectroscopía infrarroja por transformada de Fourier y por microscopía electrónica de barrido, con el fin de analizar la microestructura de las muestras. También se realizaron ensayos de distribución de tamaño de las fibras cortas. Adicionalmente, también se realizaron sobre las mezclas asfálticas ensayos de penetración, punto de ablandamiento, índice de penetración, viscosidad, punto de inflamación, punto de llama y ductilidad. En general, estos ensayos revelaron que las formulaciones de asfalto pueden ser usadas en infraestructura bajo esfuerzos no críticos.

Fique is a plant native of Colombia with fibers extracted from its leaves presenting relevant physical characteristics and mechanical properties for possible engineering applications, such as reinforcement of polymer composites. The main physico-mechanical properties of the fique fiber have already been investigated for both untreated and mechanically treated fibers. The statistical distribution of the fique fiber diameter was analyzed and the effect of microfibrillar angle on the tensile strength and elongation was determined. However, the correlation of mechanical properties with the fiber diameter is yet to be determined. Thus, the present work evaluated the tensile elastic modulus dependence of the fique fiber as a function of its diameter. By means of the Weibull statistical analysis, it was found that an inverse correlation adjusted the elastic modulus with the equivalent diameter through a hyperbolic type of mathematical relationship. Similar correlation have been found for several lignocellulosic fibers not only by the research group of the present work but also other international groups The results are compared and discussed.

Thermally stable and highly crystalline CdS nanoparticles were obtained via chemical bath method. The optical properties of CdS nanocrystals were characterized by ultraviolet-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Improvement in the photoluminescence properties of the synthesized CdS nanocrystals was observed. This improvement is believed to be due to highly crystalline CdS nanoparticles which may reduce the local surface-trap states. The CdS nanoparticles were characterized by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).