Journal of Fibers and Polymer Composites

Hybrid Natural-Synthetic Fiber Composites for Noise and Vibration Control: Linking Acoustic Performance to Environmental Sustainability Metrics

Fauzi Ibrahim — 2026-07-16

Hybrid natural-synthetic fiber composites are attractive for automotive acoustic trim only when composition effects are separated from geometric effects and the computational assumptions are fully reproducible. This study presents a transparent screening framework linking normal-incidence acoustic absorption, a literature-informed vibration-damping proxy, specific stiffness, mass and constituent-production environmental metrics. Twelve polypropylene-based formulations were compared at a common thickness of 20 mm; 16, 20 and 24 mm were then evaluated separately in the thickness-sensitivity analysis. Open porosity and flow resistivity were generated by explicit bounded composition-to-property rules and used in the Miki equivalent-fluid model. Environmental inputs were evaluated with 20,000-trial triangular uncertainty propagation, while the multi-criteria ranking used winsorized normalization and 10,000 weight-perturbation scenarios of +/-15%. At 20 mm, broadband absorption averages (500-4000 Hz) occupied a narrow range of 0.612-0.636, demonstrating that acoustic comparisons are sensitive to geometry and that thickness must be controlled when isolating composition effects. Increasing thickness from 16 to 24 mm raised the modeled broadband absorption of representative natural-fiber-rich panels from about 0.55 to 0.69. C25-G10-R5 ranked first under the baseline weights and in 100% of weight-perturbation scenarios; JC30-G10 remained in the top three in 100% of scenarios and C35-rP5 in 79.1%. Median constituent-production greenhouse-gas reductions relative to GF40-PP ranged from approximately 26% to 56% for the non-aramid hybrid candidates, whereas the aramid-containing design was environmentally unfavorable. The reported damping values are screening proxies, not measured loss factors, and the environmental calculation is not a full ISO-compliant comparative LCA. The framework is therefore intended for hypothesis generation and experimental down-selection rather than direct certification of material performance.

Soil Burial Degradation and Morphology of PLA/Sugarcane Bagasse Biocomposites

Ahmad Hibatullah — 2026-07-27

This study aimed to investigate the degradation behavior and surface morphology of polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites reinforced with sugarcane bagasse fibers (SCBF). The biocomposites were fabricated using the vacuum bagging technique with fiber loadings of 0, 22, 24, and 26 wt%. Their performance was evaluated through a 21-day soil burial test, water solubility test, and surface morphology analysis using a digital optical microscope. The results revealed that the incorporation of sugarcane bagasse fibers enhanced the biodegradation rate of the PLA biocomposites under soil burial conditions. The highest weight loss (17.02%) was obtained for the biocomposite containing 26 wt% SCBF after 21 days of burial, which was attributed to microbial activity and the hygroscopic nature of the natural fibers. In contrast, the addition of SCBF reduced the water solubility of the biocomposites due to the formation of a denser fiber network within the PLA matrix, which restricted water penetration and improved structural integrity. Morphological observations confirmed surface degradation after soil burial, as evidenced by the formation of cracks, fissures, and voids on the biocomposite surface. Overall, the incorporation of sugarcane bagasse fibers effectively improved the biodegradability of PLA biocomposites while maintaining lower water solubility, highlighting their potential for environmentally friendly packaging applications.

Characterization of Hydrogel Beads Based on Sodium Alginate and Bacterial Cellulose as Encapsulants for Red Palm Oil Emulsion (Elaeis guineensis Jacq)

Fitri Zuzilla Maha Rilmi — 2026-07-27

Red palm oil is a carotenoid-rich lipid source with functional potential, but its bioactive compounds are susceptible to oxidative degradation during processing and storage. This study aimed to develop red palm oil emulsion hydrogel beads using sodium alginate and bacterial cellulose as encapsulating materials and to evaluate the effect of their ratios on physicochemical and encapsulation properties. Beads were prepared by emulsion ionotropic gelation using CaCl₂ as a crosslinking agent. A completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications was used, and data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test at a 5% significance level. The sodium alginate-to-bacterial cellulose ratio significantly affected yield, bead size, sphericity factor, swelling capacity, total carotenoid content, and encapsulation efficiency. Increasing bacterial cellulose proportion improved bead yield, diameter, carotenoid retention, and encapsulation efficiency. Treatment E, containing 50 mL sodium alginate, 25 mL bacterial cellulose, and 25 mL red palm oil emulsion, showed the best characteristics, with 63.17% yield, 3.55 mm bead size, 0.004 sphericity factor, 44.47 µg/g total carotenoid content, and 83.21% encapsulation efficiency. These findings indicate that sodium alginate–bacterial cellulose hydrogel beads are promising encapsulants for carotenoid-rich red palm oil emulsion.

Curve Fitting of the Transport Behaviour of Epoxy Coated Fabrics through some selected Solvents

Francis N. Onuoha — 2026-07-28

Modelling of the Transport Behaviour of selected solvents through Epoxy Coated Grey Fabrics had been carried out. The epoxy coated fabrics were formulated by coating the grey states of cotton (EC), nylon (EN), linen (EN), polyester (EP) with epoxy resin as published. 20ml of Hydrogen peroxide was mixed with colbalt and methyl ethyl ketone to form mixture 1, 20ml of borax was mixed with cobalt, and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide to form mixture 2. 40ml of epoxy was measured out in a beaker and poured into a basin and 20ml each of mixture 1 and 2 were injected gradually at different points in the basin. The grey fabrics were then dipped in each of mixtures to form epoxy coated grey fabric. The methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) and cobalt were used as catalyst and accelerator respectively. The grey fabric were then dipped in the mixture of 1 and epoxy and 2 and epoxy to form epoxy coated grey fabrics and allowed to cool at room temperature. The epxy grey coated fabrics were totally immersed in water bath at temperatures of 18°C and 27°C at intervals of 300 seconds until equilibrium was reached. Sorption properties were calculated using the molar percentage uptake (q_t) obtained from molar uptake at equilibrium (q_e). The results obtained were validated using the least square technique with Matlab software. The epoxy grey coated fabrics were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transport Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to examine the internal structure, and functional groups. Results obtained indicated that the molar uptake of both composites followed the typical isotherm curves. The enthalpy of sorption obtained was positive and suggested Henrys type of sorption. The epoxy coated grey fabrics reached equilibrium at shortest time for the 18°C while 27°C took longer time. Elemental composition of the epoxy coated grey fabrics were obtained using the elemental dispersive X-Ray from SEM; they indicated presence of carbon, oxygen, sodium, potassium, silicon, calcium, aluminum, magnesium and iron.

Drying-Induced Hornification in Cellulose Nanofiber–PLA Composites Improving Mechanical and Thermal Stability

Sholahuddin Sholahuddin — 2026-07-31

Steam explosion pretreatment is widely used to facilitate the production of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from lignocellulosic biomass; however, the influence of pretreatment severity on the performance of CNF-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated the effect of steam explosion pressures of 35 and 40 atm on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of CNF/PLA composites prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB). CNFs were produced by steam explosion followed by mechanical fibrillation and incorporated into a PLA matrix at a 1:1 dry weight ratio. The composite prepared using 35 atm exhibited superior mechanical performance, with a tensile strength of 9.22 ± 0.01 MPa and a Young's modulus of 2.26 ± 0.12 GPa. Increasing the pretreatment pressure to 40 atm slightly delayed the onset of thermal degradation and reduced the cold crystallization temperature, suggesting enhanced heterogeneous nucleation during heating. However, the higher pressure also reduced tensile properties and significantly decreased the residual char content, indicating more extensive removal of lignin and possible hornification and partial cellulose depolymerization. These results demonstrate a trade-off between mechanical reinforcement and thermal performance as pretreatment severity increases. Overall, a steam explosion pressure of 35 atm provided the most balanced combination of mechanical and thermal properties, offering useful guidance for optimizing CNF-reinforced PLA biocomposites derived from oil palm biomass.

Alkali-Treated Pineapple Leaf and Water Hyacinth Fibers for PLA Biocomposites: A Review

Achmad Zakki Ardiansyah — 2026-07-31

Sustainable polymer composites require renewable reinforcements whose mechanical performance, processing feasibility, durability, and end-of-life behavior are supported by evidence. This review maps alkali-treated pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and water-hyacinth-related materials for polylactic acid (PLA) and related biopolymer composites, focusing on interface modification, mechanical and flexural behavior, durability limitations, and application gaps. A PRISMA-style systematic mapping approach was applied using a corrected modular evidence-mapping strategy rather than one all-concept Boolean string. From a precompiled reference-summary dataset of 1,218 records, 50 studies were retained after residual duplicate checking, title-and-abstract screening, full-text eligibility assessment, and quality appraisal. Evidence was classified into direct PLA/PALF studies, WHF fiber-reinforcement studies, WHF filler or functional-additive studies, water-hyacinth biomass-to-PLA feedstock studies, alkali-treatment/interface studies, broader PLA/natural-fiber evidence, and methodological sources. PALF has stronger direct evidence in PLA matrices, including continuous-fiber 3D printing, layer-to-layer additive manufacturing, molding routes, and hybrid systems. WHF remains underexplored in PLA; current evidence mainly comes from WHF/HDPE, WHF/PBS, WHF/thermoplastic starch, WHF/epoxy, and feedstock-conversion studies. The quantitative extraction reports treatment conditions, fiber fractions, processing routes, tensile and flexural values, moduli, impact data, and percentage changes where available. Examples include flexural strength of 35.81 MPa and modulus of 5.28 GPa for alkali-treated coir/PALF/PLA, 132.75 MPa flexural strength for NaOH-treated jute-PALF/PLA, and flexural-strength gains of 15.86-98% across relevant systems. The proposed PLA/PALF/WHF hybrid is framed as a testable PALF-primary/WHF-secondary hypothesis requiring direct validation, standardized treatment, durability testing, LCA, and application-specific assessment.

Characteristics of Tapioca-Glucomannan Based Foam Biocomposites with Variations in Microcrystalline Cellulose Concentration and Gelatinization Stirring Time

Dewa Ayu Made Wulan Sintya Dewi — 2026-07-31

Biocomposites are materials composed of a combination of polymer matrices and natural reinforcing agents that are environmentally friendly and have the potential to replace non-biodegradable synthetic polymers. The development of biodegradable foam biocomposites represents an innovation in lightweight materials that can be applied as sustainable packaging. This study aimed to examine the effect of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) concentration on the characteristics of foam biocomposites and to determine the optimal concentration to produce the best quality foam. The research employed a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three MCC concentration treatments (1.5%, 3.5%, and 5.5%) across three gelatinization times (1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes). The observed variables included tensile strength, density, tear resistance, compression set, thickness, swelling, elongation at break, and biodegradation time. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by the Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test. The results showed that MCC concentration and gelatinization time significantly affected tensile strength, density, tear resistance, compression set, thickness, swelling, elongation at break, and biodegradation time. The best foam biocomposite was obtained at 5.5% microcrystalline cellulose concentration and 1 minute of gelatinization time, with tensile strength of 5.04 N/cm², density of 0.38 g/cm³, tear resistance of 3.60 N/cm², compression set of 19.99%, thickness of 15.11 mm, thickness swelling of 1.22%, elongation at break of 3.02%, and biodegradation time of 13 days.

The Next Generation of Sustainable Composites: From High Performance to High Impact

Nasmi Herlina Sari — 2026-07-31

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