A Review on Pineapple Leaf Fibers, Sisal Fibers and Their Biocomposites

Abstract

Summary: The use of lignocellulosic fibers, pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and sisal as reinforcements in thermoplastic and thermosetting resins for developing low cost and lightweight composites is an emerging field of research in polymer science and technology. Although, these biofibers have several advantages, such as low densities, low cost, nonabrasive nature, high filling level possible, low energy consumption, high specific properties, biodegradability, etc., over synthetic fibers, the absorption of moisture by untreated biofibers, poor wettability, and insufficient adhesion between the polymer matrix and fiber deteriorate the mechanical properties of composites made up of these biofibers. Therefore, the modification of these fibers is a key area of research at present to obtain optimum fiber‐matrix properties. This review article is concerned with the structure, composition and properties of PALF and sisal, the chemical modifications of these fibers and PALF/sisal‐reinforced thermosets, thermoplastics, rubber, cement, hybrids and biocomposites.Scanning electron micrograph of tensile fractured surface of alkali treated sisal fiber (magnification ×500).magnified imageScanning electron micrograph of tensile fractured surface of alkali treated sisal fiber (magnification ×500).

Caracterização química e estrutural de fibra de sisal da variedade Agave sisalana

“…Da parte 1 para as partes 2 e 3, ocorreu uma diminuição de cerca de 5% e das partes 2 e 3 para a parte 4, a diminuição do valor do diâmetro é de aproximadamente 65%. Este acentuado decréscimo da parte basal para a apical explica a grande variação dos valores de diâmetro para a fibra de sisal relatados na literatura [3,8,11,23] .…”

“…Os compósitos reforçados com fibras de sisal se destacam por apresentarem alta resistência ao impacto, e boas propriedades de resistência à tração e flexão [3,[21][22][23][24] . Isto é atribuído ao fato da fibra de sisal apresentar um dos maiores valores de módulo de elasticidade e de resistência mecânica entre as fibras naturais [25] .…”

Chemical and morphological characterization of <em>Agave angustifolia</em> bagasse fibers

“…ETHNOBOTANY R ecently, research on plant fi bers has been increasing due to the abundance of these materials and their status as renewable resources (Joseph et al, 1999;Ghali et al, 2006;Lucena et al, 2009;Ku et al, 2011;Kestur et al, 2013). Consequently, this focus has led to further research on the specifi c characterization of individual plant fi bers such as bamboo, okra, sisal, and henequen (Mishra et al, 2004; Bé-akou et al, 2008;De Rosa et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2012;Arrakhiz et al, 2013) and studies on composite materials (Mohanty et al, 2002;Herrera-Franco and Valadez-González, 2005;Faruk et al, 2012). However, fi bers from Agave plants have been little studied: of the 256 recorded species, only a handful have been thoroughly analyzed, most notably A. fourcroydes, A. salmiana, A. sisalana, and A. tequilana (Li et al, 2000;Piven et al, 2001; Iñiguez et al, 2005;Velázquez-Jiménez et al, 2013).…”

“…Consequently, this focus has led to further research on the specifi c characterization of individual plant fi bers such as bamboo, okra, sisal, and henequen (Mishra et al, 2004;Bé-akou et al, 2008;De Rosa et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2012;Arrakhiz et al, 2013) and studies on composite materials (Mohanty et al, 2002;Herrera-Franco and Valadez-González, 2005;Faruk et al, 2012). However, fi bers from Agave plants have been little studied: of the 256 recorded species, only a handful have been thoroughly analyzed, most notably A.…”

Flexural behavior of Sisal/Castor oil-Based Polyurethane and Sisal/Phenolic Composites

“…Natural fibers have moisture content, in general, ranging between 5 to 20%, due to the hydrophilic characteristic of the cellulosic fiber. This characteristic affects the mechanical properties of the composites because the moisture can lead to a poor processability and porous products during the processing of composites [7][8][9][10] . According to Li,Mai and Ye 9 , to modify the fiber surface structure in order to enhance the bond strength between the fiber and the matrix and to reduce the water absorption of sisal fiber, chemical and thermal treatments are used.…”