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Review
. 2024 Jan 19;10(3):e24683.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24683. eCollection 2024 Feb 15.

Potential of lignocellulosic fiber reinforced polymer composites for automobile parts production: Current knowledge, research needs, and future direction

Abdulrahman Adeiza Musa  1   2 , Azikiwe Peter Onwualu  2
Affiliations
Review

Potential of lignocellulosic fiber reinforced polymer composites for automobile parts production: Current knowledge, research needs, and future direction

Abdulrahman Adeiza Musa et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in research focusing on the use of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites (NFRPCs) in the automobile industry. These materials offer several advantages over their synthetic counterparts, including lightweight properties, renewability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. This increasing research interest in NFRPCs within the automotive sector is primarily aimed at overcoming the challenges that have thus far limited their industrial applications when compared to conventional synthetic composites. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the potential applications and sustainability of lignocellulosic-based NFRPCs in the automobile industry. It examines the current state of knowledge, identifies research needs and existing limitations, and provides insights into future perspectives. This review shows that, while lignocellulosic fibers hold great promise as sustainable, high-performance, and cost-effective alternatives to traditional reinforcing fibers, continuous research is needed to further address issues such as fiber-matrix compatibility, processing techniques, long-term durability concerns, and general property improvement. These advancements are essential to meet the increasing performance demand for eco-friendly, renewable, and energy-efficient materials in automotive design.

Keywords: Automobile parts; Biocomposite; Current knowledge; Lignocellulosic fiber; Polymer matrix.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Natural fiber extraction processes: (a) mechanical method (b) manual method (c) retting method [75,76].
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
General classification of fibers [13,78,79].
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Classification of the biocomposites.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Common manufacturing processes for natural fiber-based composites.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Effect of fiber length on the wear behavior of agave fiber reinforced epoxy composite under different wear testing conditions: (a) 300 rpm, 1.413 m/s velocity; (b) 400 rpm, 1.884 m/s velocity; and (c) 500 rpm, 2.356 m/s velocity [132].
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Specific application areas of NFRPCs in automobile parts [155].
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Progress in NFRPCs: (a) global utilization of natural fiber-based composites in different applications in 2016 (b) the number of research publications on NFRPCs from 1990 to 2021 [170].
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Factors influencing the steady rise of research in NFRPCs for automotive applications.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Future projection of NFRPCs toward advanced application [180].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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