TYPE OF FIBER AND ITS CONTENT

Any successful sustainable composite must consider the natural fiber type and con­tent. Within the type, the length, aspect ratio, and chemical composition have a great influence on the processability. Within the content, the stiffness of a composite can be increased significantly by increasing the proportion of natural fibers within the composite assembly.38 The impact strength is also improved by higher natural fiber contents, but can also contribute to composite odor emissions and water uptake.39 A number of other mechanical properties are also attributable to the aspect ratio which influences the quality and quantity of the networking that can be attained in a composite system.40 For cellulose films, the mechanical properties of showed an increase in strength and stiffness with decreasing fiber size, and this stabilized after a certain number of passes in the homogenizer. Finally, in terms of reinforcement, it was found that the critical factor controlling the contribution of NFC to it was its homogeneity rather than its DP.25