DESIGN TOOL TO EVALUATE EXPERIENCES OF MATERIALS DEVELOPED WITH AMAZONIAN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL WASTE

Abstract

The Amazon region is home to great biodiversity and a population with traditional knowledge deeply linked to the management of natural resources. Despite the plurality of its territory, large spaces are in a constant process of urbanization, with a growing demand for alternatives in the matter of waste. The Açaí production chain (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is one of the most important for the region, its importance is related to the cultural identity, economic value, and health benefits that the consumption of the fruit promotes. Although, the high production, derived from industrial processing, is responsible for environmental and social problems in the region's main cities. Developed by Camera and Karana (2018), Ma2E4 is a set of tools that aims to help understand how people evaluate a given material, at four different experiential levels: sensorial, interpretative, affective, and performative. Therefore, the present work aims to evaluate composite materials, developed with PLA/Açaí fibers and PLA/Açaí seeds, using Ma2E4 tools. Through a qualitative assessment, it was possible to identify sensory patterns among the materials developed.

Keywords

• biodiversity
• materials and processes
• waste
• sustainable development
• circular economy
• materials design