Faris M. AL-Oqla, Othman Y. Alothman, M. Jawaid,

S. M. Sapuan, and M. H. Es-Saheb

Contents

1.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2

1.2 Natural Fiber Composites………………………………………………………………………………………. 4

1.3 Date Palm Fibers………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

1.3.1 Chemical Composition of Date Palm Fiber…………………………………………………… 8

1.3.2 Physical Properties of Date Palm Fiber 11

1.3.3 Mechanical Properties of Date Palm Fiber 12

1.3.4 Treatment of the Natural Fibers…………………………………………………………………… 12

1.4 Matrices for Date Palm Fibers………………………………………………………………………………. 16

1.5 Performance of Bio-composites………………………………………………………………………………. 18

1.5.1 Factors Influence the Composite Performance……………………………………………………… 19

1.6 Future Developments…………………………………………………………………………………………. 21

1.7 Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21

1.8 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22

References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 23

F. M. AL-Oqla

Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia

O. Y. Alothman (*)

Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451 , Saudi Arabia e-mail: othman@ksu. edu. sa

M. Jawaid

Department of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia

Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

K. R. Hakeem et al. (eds.), Biomass and Bioenergy: Processing and Properties,

DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-07641-6_1, © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014

Abstract Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fibers are considered as one of the most available natural fiber types worldwide. Large quantities of date palm biomass wastes are annually accumulated without proper utilization. These quantities are of potential interest to support the industrial sustainability by producing alternative cheap eco-friendly materials. The competitiveness of the date palm fibers in several applications particularly in automotive industrial sectors was illustrated. Date palm fiber can be considered the best regarding several evaluation criteria like specific strength to cost ratio if compared to other fiber types. The effects of using date palm fibers in natural fiber composites with different polymer matrices were demon­strated. Criteria that can affect the proper selection and evaluation of the natural fibers as well as the composites for particular applications were discussed. The ben­efit of natural fibers’ modifications on physical, mechanical, and other properties were also explored. Selecting the proper date palm fiber reinforcement condition can dramatically enhance its future expectations and widen its usage in different applications.

Keywords Date palm fibers • Natural fiber composites • Composites performance • Evaluation criteria

1.1 Introduction

Date palm cultivation and their fruit utilization had been investigated by several studies and works. Unfortunately, little information and details are available regarding the utilization and implementation of the date palm fibers and wastes in producing desirable commercial natural fiber composites. Consequently, the inten­tion of this chapter is to introduce a comprehensive discussion on the value of the date palm fibers and their composites in addition to their properties and competi­tiveness from different physical, chemical, mechanical, and engineering point of views. This is presented here to focus a light on one of the most important fiber types that can be utilized as an eco-friendly raw alternative material for different engineering applications.

S. M. Sapuan

Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia

Department of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia

M. H. Es-Saheb

Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University,

P. O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia

Table 1.1 Characteristics of the date palm production system (Dakheel 2003; Jain 2007)

1 Its sustainability in harsh climatic

2 High efficiency in resource utilization

3 High productivity

4 High nutritional value of date fruit

5 Long productive life

6 Enhance agriculture development by creating equable microclimate within oasis ecosystems

7 Helpful in reducing desertification risks

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) trees as one of mankind’s oldest cultivated plants belong to the family of Palmae (Arecaceae). It has played a vital role in daily life activities in the Middle East particularly the Arabian Peninsula since 7,000 years (Ahmed et al. 1995). Recently, the worldwide production of date palm fruits is con­tinuously increasing which indicates the importance of the date palm trees. The utilization and industrialization of dates are distributed among several countries such as Egypt (1,352,950 metric tons), Saudi Arabia (1,078, 300 metric tons), Iran (1,023,130 metric tons), UAE (775,000 metric tons), and Algeria (710,000 metric tons) (Chandrasekaran and Bahkali 2013).

Date palm trees have government support, social acceptance, and positive view in most countries (Al-Oqla and Sapuan 2014). Such reasons can sufficiently express why there are more than 120 million date palm trees in different countries world­wide. Over two-thirds of such trees are in Arab countries. Each tree has the ability to grow and produce fruits for more than 100 years (Al-Khanbashi et al. 2005). For instance, date palm trees have positive points of view and government support due to several reasons such as to produce the raw materials for local industries (furni­ture and home accessories), and produce valuable food for human beings (Jain

2007) . Moreover, date palm trees can contribute to the national economy of several countries. For instance, the income for Saudi Arabia from the date fruit production was about $2.12 billion according to the base price of 2006 (Alshuaibi 2011). Due to the unique characteristics of date palm it is usually called the tree of life (Jain

2007) . That is, it is very beneficial and connected with the survival and well-being of humans living particularly in hot arid environments under harsh climatic condi­tions. The date palm production systems have several distinguished characteristics as shown in Table 1.1. Moreover, the rich date fruit plays a crucial role in providing nutrition to human kinds under hot and arid conditions. Date fruits are rich source of fructose, sweeteners, fat, proteins, glucose, and vitamins (Al Eid 2006; Jain

2007) in addition to other minerals. Therefore, date palm fruits are considered as an ideal food for human beings as it provides several kinds of essential nutrients and potential health benefits. In addition, date palm trees are usually utilized for garden decorations in Arabian Peninsula. Consequently, it can be deduced that such reasons can ensure the continuous availability of the date palms and their residuals and fibers as renewable raw materials with low prices to be used in differ­ent industrial applications.