A Review of Natural Fibers Used in Biocomposites: Plant, Animal and Regenerated Cellulose Fibers

Abstract

Natural fibers today are a popular choice for applications in composite manufacturing.Based on the sustainability benefits, biofibers such as plant fibers are replacing synthetic fibers in composites. These fibers are used to manufacture several biocomposites. The chemical composition and properties of each of the fibers changes, which demands the detailed comparison of these fibers. The reinforcement potential of natural fibers and their properties have been described in numerous papers. Today, high performance biocomposites are produced from several years of research. Plant fibers, particularly bast and leaf, find applications in automotive industries. While most of the other fibers are explored in lab scales they have not yet found large-scale commercial applications. It is necessary to also consider other fibers such as ones made from seed (coir) and animals (chicken feather) as they are secondary or made from waste products. Few plant fibers such as bast fibers are often reviewed briefly but other plant and animal fibers are not discussed in detail. This review paper discusses all the six types of plant fibers such as bast, leaf, seed, straw, grass, and wood, together with animal fibers and regenerated cellulose fibers. Additionally, the review considers developments dealing with natural fibers and their composites. The fiber source, extraction, availability, type, composition, and mechanical properties are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of using each biofiber are discussed. Three fabric architectures such as nonwoven, woven and knitted have been briefly discussed. Finally, the paper presents the overview of the results from the composites made from each fiber with suitable references for in-depth studies.

Performance of biocomposites from surface modified regenerated cellulose fibers and lactic acid thermoset bioresin

“…The use of cellulosic fibers obtained from bast, leaf, seed, wood, straw and grass as reinforcements in plastics has increased in recent decades (Faruk et al 2012;Ramamoorthy et al 2015). Natural fibers have good physical and mechanical properties, which make them a right choice as low cost reinforcement (Faruk et al 2012;Bledzki and Gassan 1999;Ramamoorthy et al 2015).…”

Separation of cellulose fibres from pulp suspension by froth flotation fractionation

“…Using tall oil, the hydrophobicity of the fibres might decrease. Such fibres are known to be of use in construction materials [48], and might be used in biocomposites [6,8].…”

“…However selectively recovered cellulose fibres could also be used as raw material for plastic compounds [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Classical separation of cellulose fibres and fibre-fines by size are mechanical screening and separation technologies [9].…”

Synthesis of a Novel Allyl-Functionalized Deep Eutectic Solvent to Promote Dissolution of Cellulose

“…Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth (Klemm et al 2005;Huber et al 2012;Ramamoorthy et al 2015). However, its utilization as an isolated polymer is hindered by its water-insoluble crystalline structure and highly packed polymeric macromolecules (Gümüşkaya et al 2002;Sathitsuksanoh et al 2013).…”