Mechanical properties of oil palm fibre-reinforced polymer composites: a review

In recent years, serious reduction in petroleum resources and concerns about the usage of synthetic plastics have prompted global communities to accept the use of natural fibres and biopolymers in many products. Lignocellulosic fibre polymer biocomposites have attracted the attention of scientists and engineers because of their wide availability, low carbon emission and biodegradability. Currently, oil palm is one of the main crops cultivated in Malaysia and Indonesia and is regarded as a potential source of lignocellulosic fibres for biocomposites. The cellulosic content of oil palm fibres (OPFs) enhances the mechanical properties of composites. Ensuring the compatibility of OPFs as main constituents with other materials in composites for a specific applications is essential. Mechanical performance in terms of tensile, flexural and impact strength determines an OPF's compatibility. However, no comprehensive reviews focusing on the mechanical properties of OPF biocomposites have been published, and factors influencing mechanical performance, such as interfacial adhesion, stacking sequence, additive, type of polymer and fibre size have not been explored. Some studies have identified the research gaps and deduced that the potential applications of OPFs as reinforcement materials in composites have not been explored.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

In recent years, the use of natural fibres and biopolymers in many products has gained acceptance due to the serious reduction in petroleum resources and concerns about synthetic plastics. Lignocellulosic fibre polymer biocomposites, particularly those made from oil palm fibres (OPFs), have attracted attention for their wide availability, low carbon emission, and biodegradability. However, the mechanical properties of OPF biocomposites and the factors influencing their performance have not been thoroughly examined.