IntroductIonDevelopment of advanced polymer composite materials having superior mechanical properties opened up new horizons in the engineering field. Advantages such as corrosion resistance, electrical insulation, easy processability at relatively less energy requirement in tooling and assembly costs, higher stiffness and strength, fatigue resistance and lower weight than metals have made polymer composite widely acceptable in structural applications. The so-called advanced composites have replaced metals because of their excellent mechanical properties and low density giving them high specific strength and stiffness 1 . Such weight savings are highly desirable for applications in aerospace to transportation to reduce weight and associated fuel consumption. Another distinct advantage is their ability to be engineered to obtain required properties in different directions by appropriate fiber placing in different layers of the laminated structure.Composite properties depend on the properties of the constituent materials i.e. the fibers and resins used. The strength and stiffness of the composites are directly a function of the reinforcing fiber properties which carry most of the load and their volume content. The resin helps to maintain the relative position of the fibers within the composite and, more importantly, transfers the load from the bottom fibers to the intact fibers. As a result, fiber/resin interfacial properties are also important and have a significant effect on composite properties including toughness and transverse fracture stress. To fabricate high strength composites, all three factors namely fiber properties, resin properties as well as fiber/resin interface characteristics are critical.Currently most of the fibers and resins are derived from petroleum feed stocks and do not degrade for several decades under normal environmental conditions 2 . Composites made from thermosetting resins cannot be reprocessed or recycled, however, a small fraction of these thermosetting composites are crushed into powder used as filler or incinerated to obtain energy in the form of heat, most of them end up in land-fills at the end of their life. In anaerobic conditions, such as those in land -fills, the petroleum based composites may not degrade making that land unavailable for any other use. On the other hand, incineration produces toxic gases and requires expensive scrubbers. Both incineration and dumping in land-fills are environmentally undesirable as well as expensive. In the future, these methods of disposing of composites are expected to get even more expensive as the pollution laws all over the world get stricter and the number of land -fills decline. In addition, at the present rate of consumption, the world petroleum resources are estimated to last for the next 50 years or so 2 . Thus, there is a great interest generated in developing green composites using fully sustainable, biodegradable, environment friendly and annually renewable fibers and resins, particularly those derived from plants 3 . A variet...