This research aims to study and develop fiber cement products
made from natural materials, including coconut coir fiber and oil
palm fiber, to be used as roof sheets and wall panels. The choice
of material is expected to be widely used in the markets of
Thailand, located in the tropical region, due to their lower production
cost and the fact that they contain no harmful toxic substances.
At present, commercially available fiber cement tiles are
produced using combination of natural and synthetic fibers, which
have similar properties compared with other types of roof sheets
and are often more durable, with better impact resistance and heat
insulation compared to asbestos cement roof sheets. Furthermore,
the production of fiber cement roof sheets using natural fibers is
still low. Therefore, once the use of these natural materials
increases, the production costs will be reduced and natural fiber
will be a viable alternative to synthetic materials, which waste
both energy and resources in their production.