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Research created in Moju reuses carbonized açaí seeds in a material with clay, connects sustainability and housing in the Amazon, and led Francielly Rodrigues Barbosa to awards, science fairs, and innovation environments inside and outside Brazil.
The researcher from Pará, Francielly Rodrigues Barbosa, from Moju, Pará, created a construction material made with carbonized açaí seeds and clay, in a proposal that reuses fruit waste and was born from problems observed in the city’s housing.
Focusing on sustainability and housing improvement, the trajectory gained national projection by uniting applied science, Amazonian reality, and waste utilization, according to Forbes, which highlighted the start of the research when Francielly was only 16 years old.
At the time, the young woman began to investigate cracks that appeared on the floors and walls of houses in Moju, a municipality in Pará located about 120 kilometers from Belém, and sought a solution linked to the territory itself.
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Açaí Brick Was Born from a Problem in Moju
The alternative found by the student came from a common material in the açaí production chain, as the fruit’s seed usually remains in large quantities after the pulp is removed and consumed.
Instead of treating this waste as useless discard, Francielly began to study a way to transform it into a component for a material aimed at civil construction, bringing together school research and the concrete needs of the community.
According to Saneas Online, the process involves carbonizing the açaí seed and mixing this material with clay, forming a raw mass with the potential to become a brick and help in the foundation of houses.
By starting from an element abundant in the Amazonian daily life, the proposal attracted attention for the simplicity of the input and the possibility of giving new use to a waste directly linked to the regional economy and food.
The seed, previously associated only with what remains after the fruit’s processing, began to be treated as a raw material for a scientific experiment connected to housing challenges observed in the interior of Pará.
Invention Took Young Paraense to Febrace
With the advancement of research, the açaí brick took Francielly to Febrace, considered the largest Brazilian fair of science and engineering, according to the profile published by Forbes in the Under 30 edition of 2024.
Participation in the event opened doors for new presentations, increased the project’s visibility, and helped to insert a solution created in Moju into spaces focused on scientific innovation in Brazil and abroad.
Also according to Forbes, the solution was presented in an innovation laboratory at MIT in partnership with Harvard, in the United States, a move that expanded the reach of research born far from major economic centers.
Throughout her journey, Francielly received more than 25 awards, a mark that reinforces the impact of an investigation started in adolescence, based on a daily observation of damage to houses in her own community.
In 2021, Saneas Online already reported that the Production Engineering student at the Federal University of Pará had won awards at Febrace, as well as publications of articles and credentials for other scientific events.
Açaí seed gains use in civil construction
At the heart of the invention is an important discussion for the Amazonian bioeconomy: the use of waste generated in the region itself, especially when it can serve as a basis for solutions related to local problems.
In the project developed by Francielly, the açaí seed ceases to be just a leftover from consumption and becomes part of research on construction material, with application associated with the reality of Amazonian communities.
The journalistic strength of the story comes from the combination of character, territory, and practical application, as a student from Pará identified a problem in her city and sought an answer with materials available in her own environment.
From this observation, research initiated in a school context transformed into a project recognized at scientific fairs, with national impact and presence in environments linked to innovation abroad.
In the Under 30 list of 2024, Forbes included Francielly in the area of Science and Education and reported that she is studying Production Engineering at the Federal University of Pará.
In the same profile, the researcher summarized her ambition by stating: “I want to transform Moju into a scientific hub.”
Research is still treated as experimental material
Although it has received recognition at fairs and awards, the initiative appears in public sources as scientific research and experimental material, without disclosed proof of large-scale commercial production or consolidated structural use.
Thus, the main point of the story is the creation of a sustainable material based on açaí seed, developed in Moju and associated with the search for more accessible construction alternatives for the Amazon.
By bringing together direct observation, experimentation, and the use of resources available in the territory, the project demonstrates a science built from real problems, without relying solely on distant laboratories or inaccessible equipment.
Francielly’s journey also helps to increase the visibility of research created in the interior of the Amazon, especially when it connects scientific education, waste reuse, and social demands related to housing.
Once seen primarily as waste, the açaí seed has begun to occupy space in debates about sustainability, innovation in materials, and technology produced from the concrete conditions of an Amazonian community.
