PMID- 37959929
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20231122
IS  - 2073-4360 (Electronic)
IS  - 2073-4360 (Linking)
VI  - 15
IP  - 21
DP  - 2023 Oct 28
TI  - UV Radiation Effect in New Materials Developed for the Construction of Beehives.
LID - 10.3390/polym15214249 [doi]
LID - 4249
AB  - In recent decades, there has been an increasing focus on the alarming decline in 
      global bee populations, given their critical ecological contributions to natural 
      pollination and biodiversity. This decline, marked by a substantial reduction in 
      bee colonies in forested areas, has serious implications for sustainable 
      beekeeping practices and poses a broader risk to ecological well-being. 
      Addressing these pressing issues requires innovative solutions, one of which 
      involves the development and fabrication of beehives crafted from composite 
      materials that are ecologically compatible with bee biology. Importantly, these 
      materials should also exhibit a high resistance to environmental factors, such as 
      ultraviolet (UV) radiation, in order to maintain their mechanical integrity and 
      longevity. To investigate this, we conducted accelerated UV degradation tests on 
      a variety of composite materials to rapidly assess their susceptibility to 
      UV-induced changes. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) served as the matrix 
      material and was reinforced with natural fibers, specifically fique fibers 
      (Furcraea bedinghausii), banana fibers, and goose feathers. Our findings indicate 
      that UV radiation exposure results in a noticeable reduction in the tensile 
      strength of these materials. For example, wood composites experienced a 48% 
      decline in tensile strength over a 60-day period, a rate of deterioration notably 
      higher than that of other tested composite materials. Conversely, HDPE composites 
      fortified with banana fibers initially demonstrated tensile strengths exceeding 9 
      MPa and 10 MPa. Although these values gradually decreased over the observation 
      period, the composites still displayed favorable stress-strain characteristics. 
      This research underscores the substantial influence of UV radiation on the 
      longevity and efficacy of beehive materials, which in turn affects the durability 
      of natural wood hives exposed to these environmental factors. The resultant 
      increased maintenance and replacement costs for beekeepers further emphasize the 
      need for judicious material selection in beehive construction and point to the 
      viability of the composite materials examined in this study.
FAU - Rubiano-Navarrete, Andres
AU  - Rubiano-Navarrete A
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-9959-0124
AD  - Grupo de Investigacion DITMAV-Diseno, Innovacion y Asistencia Tecnica para 
      Materiales Avanzados, Joven Investigador, Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de 
      Colombia-UPTC, Tunja 150003, Colombia.
FAU - Fabian, Camilo Lesmes
AU  - Fabian CL
AD  - Direccion de Investigaciones, Corporacion Universitaria del Meta, UniMeta, 
      Villavicencio 500001, Colombia.
FAU - Torres-Perez, Yolanda
AU  - Torres-Perez Y
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-3526-8491
AD  - Grupo de Investigacion en Energia y Nuevas Tecnologias-GENTE, Escuela Ingenieria 
      Electromecanica, Facultad Duitama, Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de 
      Colombia-UPTC, Duitama 150461, Colombia.
FAU - Gomez-Pachon, Edwin
AU  - Gomez-Pachon E
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-2733-5252
AD  - Grupo de Investigacion DITMAV-Diseno, Innovacion y Asistencia Tecnica para 
      Materiales Avanzados, Escuela de Diseno Industrial, Universidad Pedagogica y 
      Tecnologica de Colombia-UPTC, Duitama 150461, Colombia.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20231028
PL  - Switzerland
TA  - Polymers (Basel)
JT  - Polymers
JID - 101545357
PMC - PMC10647716
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - HDPE
OT  - UV radiation
OT  - accelerated degradation
OT  - beehives
OT  - composite materials
OT  - polymers
COIS- The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the 
      design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in 
      the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.
EDAT- 2023/11/14 06:42
MHDA- 2023/11/14 06:43
PMCR- 2023/10/28
CRDT- 2023/11/14 02:16
PHST- 2023/08/13 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/10/18 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2023/10/21 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/11/14 06:43 [medline]
PHST- 2023/11/14 06:42 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/11/14 02:16 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/10/28 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - polym15214249 [pii]
AID - polymers-15-04249 [pii]
AID - 10.3390/polym15214249 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Polymers (Basel). 2023 Oct 28;15(21):4249. doi: 10.3390/polym15214249.