A Comparative Analysis among Balsa, Pine, and Gamari as a Potential Piezoelectric Material

The growing demand for sustainable energy has driven research into alternative materials capable of harvesting mechanical energy. Wood, a biodegradable and renewable resource, exhibits intrinsic piezoelectric properties due to its cellulose microfibrils and dipolar regions. This study investigates the piezoelectric performance of three wood species—Balsa, Pine, and Gamari—enhanced through a chemical delignification process using peracetic acid. The treatment removed 27.05% lignin from Balsa, 39.19% from Pine, and 10.46% from Gamari, while moisture content was reduced by 9.77%, 10.67%, and 10.47%, respectively. These structural changes improved compressibility and enhanced voltage response. Under a 1 kg load, treated Balsa generated up to 300.52 mV, significantly higher than its untreated counterpart (2.3 mV). Treated Pine and Gamari produced 254.56 mV and 149.55 mV, respectively, also showing considerable improvements. The results confirm that delignified wood can serve as an effective and eco-friendly material for energy harvesting. This work addresses a critical gap in current literature by comparing multiple wood species and offers promising insights into their application in self-powered sensors and sustainable building technologies.