STM Journals Peer-reviewed research from Consortium e-Learning Network

Journal of Polymer & Composites Original Research Special issue

Chemical Modifications and Tensile Properties of Areca Leaf Sheath Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites: A Comprehensive Review

  1. Kishor Budda Department of Mechanical Engineering, GITAM School of Technology, Bengaluru
  2. Madhu M G Department of Mechanical Engineering, GITAM School of Technology, Bengaluru

Abstract

Areca leaf sheath (ALS) fiber is a promising eco-friendly material, offering a sustainable, lightweight, and cost-effective alternative for low-strength applications. Its natural biodegradability aligns well with the growing global demand for environmentally responsible materials. This review explores the transformative effects of chemical treatments, such as alkali, silane, and benzoylation, on the tensile properties of Areca leaf sheath fibers. Among these, alkali treatment consistently demonstrates the most significant improvement in tensile strength by eliminating surface impurities and enhancing fiber roughness, thereby facilitating superior matrix bonding. Silane treatment, while slightly less effective in tensile enhancement, offers improved moisture resistance. Other therapies, like benzoylation and peroxide, show moderate gains but are less consistent in performance. A critical balance must be maintained in alkali treatment, as excessive concentration or duration may degrade the fibers, underlining the importance of optimizing treatment conditions. Furthermore, the integration of chemically treated Areca leaf sheath fibers into polymer matrices, such as epoxy, polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, and hybrid composites, has significantly boosted composite performance. The effect of fiber loading also plays a crucial role: tensile strength increases in woven fiber composites due to enhanced load transfer. In contrast, short fiber composites exhibit reduced strength at higher loadings due to agglomeration and poor interfacial bonding. These findings emphasize the untapped potential of chemically modified Areca leaf sheath fibers for diverse applications, including electrical insulation, sustainable packaging, interior woodworking, and eco-friendly composite materials.

Keywords

References (53)

  1. Koundal R, Khanduja R, Sharma A, Singh K. A Review of Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Chemical, Physical, and Thermo-Mechanical Properties. Journal of Fibers and Polymer Composites. 2023;2(2):67-80. doi:10.55043/jfpc.v2i2.73
  2. Jeff Jomboh K, Dzikwi Garkida A, Majiyebo Alemaka E, Kabir Yakubu M, Cephas Alkali V, Uzochukwu Eze W, et al. Properties and applications of natural, synthetic and hybrid fiber reinforced polymer composite: A review. AIMS Materials Science. 2024;11(4):774-801. doi:10.3934/matersci.2024038
  3. Maiti S, Islam MR, Uddin MA, Afroj S, Eichhorn SJ, Karim N. Sustainable Fiber‐Reinforced Composites: A Review. Advanced Sustainable Systems. 2022;6(11). doi:10.1002/adsu.202200258
  4. C D, S VK, R SS. Environmental Impact Assessment of Natural Vs Synthetic Fiber Reinforcement in Polymer Composites. International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology. 2024;12(11):1666-1679. doi:10.22214/ijraset.2024.65423
  5. El Hawary O, Boccarusso L, Ansell MP, Durante M, Pinto F. An Overview of Natural Fiber Composites for Marine Applications. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2023;11(5):1076. doi:10.3390/jmse11051076
  6. Liu J, Liu S, Zhu L, Sun L, Zhang Y, Li X, et al. Carbon Neutrality Potential of Textile Products Made from Plant-Derived Fibers. Sustainability. 2023;15(9):7070. doi:10.3390/su15097070
  7. Cai M, Takagi H, Nakagaito AN, Li Y, Waterhouse GIN. Effect of alkali treatment on interfacial bonding in abaca fiber-reinforced composites. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing. 2016;90:589-597. doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2016.08.025
  8. Atmakuri A, Palevicius A, Kolli L, Vilkauskas A, Janusas G. Development and Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Caryota and Sisal Natural Fibers Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composites. Polymers. 2021;13(6):864. doi:10.3390/polym13060864
  9. Ari A, Karahan M, Ahmed HAM, Babiker O, Dehşet RMA. A Review of Cellulosic Natural Fibers’ Properties and Their Suitability as Reinforcing Materials for Composite Panels and Applications. AATCC Journal of Research. 2023;10(3):163-183. doi:10.1177/24723444221147365
  10. Fiore V, Di Bella G, Valenza A. The effect of alkaline treatment on mechanical properties of kenaf fibers and their epoxy composites. Composites Part B: Engineering. 2015;68:14-21. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2014.08.025
  11. Kamath SS, Sampathkumar D, Bennehalli B. A review on natural areca fibre reinforced polymer composite materials. Ciência & Tecnologia dos Materiais. 2017;29(3):106-128. doi:10.1016/j.ctmat.2017.10.001
  12. Banagar A, Chikkol SV, Bennehalli B. “Studies on physical and mechanical properties of untreated (raw) and treated areca leaf sheaths”. Materials Research Innovations. 2020;25(7):404-411. doi:10.1080/14328917.2020.1834747
  13. K. S. Sekhar Das , Atin Chaudhuri, “Properties of arecanut leaf sheath fibre,” (2021). https://www.fibre2fashion.com.
  14. Banagar AR, Chikkol Venkateshappa S, Shantharam Kamath S, Bennehalli B. Tensile and flexural properties of areca sheath fibers. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2018;5(14):28080-28088. doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2018.10.049
  15. Subramanyam SP, Kotikula DK, Bennehalli B, Babbar A, Alamri S, Duhduh AA, et al. Plain-Woven Areca Sheath Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites: The Influence of the Fiber Fraction on Physical and Mechanical Features and Responses of the Tribo System and Machine Learning Modeling. ACS Omega. 2024. doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c08164
  16. Kuan HTN, Tan MY, Shen Y, Yahya MY. Mechanical properties of particulate organic natural filler-reinforced polymer composite: A review. Composites and Advanced Materials. 2021;30. doi:10.1177/26349833211007502
  17. Adam M, Rajendrakumar K. Performance Enhancement of Areca Sheath Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites: Structural Optimization with Polybutylene Terephthalate Monofilaments. Journal of Natural Fibers. 2024;22(1). doi:10.1080/15440478.2024.2440781
  18. Padmaraj NH, Kini MV, Pai BR, Shenoy BS. Development of Short Areca Fiber Reinforced Biodegradable Composite Material. Procedia Engineering. 2013;64:966-972. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2013.09.173
  19. Gokarneshan N, Sathya V, Lavanya J, Shabnum S, Habeebunisa, M. Anton S. A Review of Significant Advances in Areca Fiber Composites. Next-Generation Textiles. 2023. doi:10.5772/intechopen.108028
  20. Nayak S, Mohanty J. Erosion wear behavior of benzoyl chloride modified areca sheath fiber reinforced polymer composites. Composites Communications. 2020;18:19-25. doi:10.1016/j.coco.2020.01.006
  21. Madhu MG, Budda K. Utilization of Areca leaf sheath fiber for polymer composite development: Dynamic analysis. Materials Letters. 2025;399:139079. doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139079
  22. Nayak S, Mohanty JR. Influence of chemical treatment on tensile strength, water absorption, surface morphology, and thermal analysis of areca sheath fibers. Journal of Natural Fibers. 2018;16(4):589-599. doi:10.1080/15440478.2018.1430650
  23. P P, MS I, S S, HP N, AMS C. Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Short Arecanut Leaf Sheath Fiber Reinforced Polypropyline Composites: TGA, DSC and SEM Analysis. Journal of Material Science & Engineering. 2016;5(5). doi:10.4172/2169-0022.1000270
  24. Raj M, Fatima S, Tandon N. A study of areca nut leaf sheath fibers as a green sound-absorbing material. Applied Acoustics. 2020;169:107490. doi:10.1016/j.apacoust.2020.107490
  25. Poornima H, Muralidhar N, Praveen J. Mechanical characterization of areca fine fiber fabric (AFFF) reinforced epoxy composites. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2022;66:501-504. doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2022.05.589
  26. Withers GJ, Yu Y, Khabashesku VN, Cercone L, Hadjiev VG, Souza JM, et al. Improved mechanical properties of an epoxy glass–fiber composite reinforced with surface organomodified nanoclays. Composites Part B: Engineering. 2015;72:175-182. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2014.12.008
  27. Ghaffar SH, Madyan OA, Fan M, Corker J. The Influence of Additives on the Interfacial Bonding Mechanisms Between Natural Fibre and Biopolymer Composites. Macromolecular Research. 2018;26(10):851-863. doi:10.1007/s13233-018-6119-8
  28. Nayak RK, Ray BC, Rout D, Mahato KK. Hydrothermal Behavior of Fiber- and Nanomaterial-Reinforced Polymer Composites. 2020. doi:10.1201/9780429287824
  29. Madhu MG, Buddha K. Mechanical Evaluation of Epoxy Polymer Composites Reinforced with Areca Leaf Sheath Fiber. ACS Omega. 2025;10(24):25663-25674. doi:10.1021/acsomega.5c01365
  30. Swain PTR, Biswas S. A comparative analysis of physico‐mechanical, water absorption, and morphological behaviour of surface modified woven jute fiber composites. Polymer Composites. 2017;39(8):2952-2960. doi:10.1002/pc.24294
  31. Jagadeesh P, Puttegowda M, Mavinkere Rangappa S, Siengchin S. A review on extraction, chemical treatment, characterization of natural fibers and its composites for potential applications. Polymer Composites. 2021;42(12):6239-6264. doi:10.1002/pc.26312
  32. Nurazzi NM, Harussani MM, Aisyah HA, Ilyas RA, Norrrahim MNF, Khalina A, et al. Treatments of natural fiber as reinforcement in polymer composites—a short review. Functional Composites and Structures. 2021;3(2):024002. doi:10.1088/2631-6331/abff36
  33. Vijay R, Manoharan S, Arjun S, Vinod A, Singaravelu DL. Characterization of Silane-Treated and Untreated Natural Fibers from Stem of Leucas Aspera. Journal of Natural Fibers. 2020;18(12):1957-1973. doi:10.1080/15440478.2019.1710651
  34. Jeevetha T, Sivakumar A. Effect of Silane Treatment on Accelerated Ageing Conditions of Recycled Plastic Foam and Areca Nut Fibre Reinforced Vinyl Ester Composite. Silicon. 2024;16(7):3073-3084. doi:10.1007/s12633-024-02913-0
  35. Ilyas RA, Sapuan SM, Ishak MR, Zainudin ES. Sugar palm nanofibrillated cellulose (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb.) Merr): Effect of cycles on their yield, physic-chemical, morphological and thermal behavior. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2019;123:379-388. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.11.124
  36. Ganesh S, Lakshmanan Saraswathy J, Raghunathan V, Sivalingam C. Extraction and Characterization Chemical Treated and Untreated Lycium ferocissimum Fiber for Epoxy Composites. Journal of Natural Fibers. 2021;19(13):6509-6520. doi:10.1080/15440478.2021.1921667
  37. Ali A, Shaker K, Nawab Y, Jabbar M, Hussain T, Militky J, et al. Hydrophobic treatment of natural fibers and their composites—A review. Journal of Industrial Textiles. 2016;47(8):2153-2183. doi:10.1177/1528083716654468
  38. Amiandamhen SO, Meincken M, Tyhoda L. The effect of chemical treatments of natural fibres on the properties of phosphate-bonded composite products. Wood Science and Technology. 2018;52(3):653-675. doi:10.1007/s00226-018-0999-9
  39. Loong ML, Cree D. Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Bio-Resin Epoxy/Flax Fiber Composites using Acetic Anhydride. Journal of Polymers and the Environment. 2017;26(1):224-234. doi:10.1007/s10924-017-0943-3
  40. Ashok RB, Srinivasa CV, Basavaraju B. A review on the mechanical properties of areca fiber reinforced composites. Science and Technology of Materials. 2018;30(2):120-130. doi:10.1016/j.stmat.2018.05.004
  41. Banagar AR, Raghu Patel GR, Srinivasa CV. Areca sheath fibers, their composites and applications. Plant Fibers, their Composites, and Applications. 2022:75-110. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-824528-6.00016-3
  42. Begum HA, Tanni TR, Shahid MA. Analysis of Water Absorption of Different Natural Fibers. Journal of Textile Science and Technology. 2021;07(04):152-160. doi:10.4236/jtst.2021.74013
  43. Begum HA, Saha SK, Siddique AB, Stegmaier T. Investigation on the spinability of fine areca fiber. The Journal of The Textile Institute. 2019;110(9):1241-1245. doi:10.1080/00405000.2018.1559017
  44. Ashok RB, Srinivasa CV, Basavaraju B. Study on morphology and mechanical behavior of areca leaf sheath reinforced epoxy composites. Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials. 2020;3(3):365-374. doi:10.1007/s42114-020-00169-x
  45. Shantharam Kamath S, Bennehalli B. Potential of using areca fibres in composite fabrication. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2021;44:4143-4149. doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2020.10.461
  46. Kamath SS, Punith DN, Preetham S, Gautham SN, Janardhan, Yashwanth KL, et al. Tensile and Flexural Behaviour of Areca Husk Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composite. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. 2020:35-43. doi:10.1007/978-981-15-5151-2_4
  47. Suresh PS, Dilip Kumar K, Dhanalakshmi S, Srinivasa CV, Basavaraju B. Effect of fiber fraction on the physical and mechanical properties of short areca sheath fiber reinforced polymer composite. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2021;44:4972-4975. doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2020.12.892
  48. Suresh PS, Dilip Kumar K, Gautham SN, Preetham S, Srinivasa CV, Basavaraju B. Tribological properties of areca sheath fiber composites. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2021;46:7955-7961. doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2021.02.689
  49. Nayak S, Mohanty JR. Study of Mechanical, Thermal, and Rheological Properties of Areca Fiber-Reinforced Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite. Journal of Natural Fibers. 2018;16(5):688-701. doi:10.1080/15440478.2018.1432000
  50. N H, A. Suresh, V. Nayak, O. Anand, E. Dsouza, and ..... P., “Experimental study on natural fibre in reinforced epoxy hybrid composites,” Int. J. Core Eng. Manag., vol. 3, (2016) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303860035.
  51. Manivannan V, Ashaya K, Arunprasad J, Thirugnanasambantham R. Experimental study on the mechanical behavior of natural fibers reinforced with epoxy-based hybrid composites. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2023. doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2023.10.013
  52. Shenoy Heckadka S, Yeshwant Nayak S, Ramakrishna Vikas S, Vijaya Kini M, Padmaraj NH. Investigation of Tensile Strength for Areca Frond/Corn Starch Composites. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. 2016;9(35). doi:10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i35/95008
  53. Jothibasu S, Mohanamurugan S, Vijay R, Lenin Singaravelu D, Vinod A, Sanjay M. Investigation on the mechanical behavior of areca sheath fibers/jute fibers/glass fabrics reinforced hybrid composite for light weight applications. Journal of Industrial Textiles. 2018;49(8):1036-1060. doi:10.1177/1528083718804207
Support