NATURAL FIBRE COMPOSITES AND ITS POTENTIAL

AS BUILDING MATERIALS
Amit Rai & C.N.Jha Development Officer, BMTPC, New Delhi

Abstract
Increasing concern about the global warming, primarily due to deforestation has led to the ban on use of wood in
government buildings. Subsequently, a large action plan for the development of wood substitute has resulted in creation
of more awareness about the use of natural fibre based building materials. In the past one decade or so the joint efforts
by R & D organiations, private industries and funding agencies provided the much needed thrust for the actual transfer
of technical !now"how and product to the end users.
#ost of the developing countries are very rich in agricultural and natural fibre. $%cept a few e%ceptions, a large part of
agricultural waste is being used as a fuel. India alone produces more than &'' million tonnes of agricultural waste
annually. It has got a very large percentage of the total world production of rice hus!, jute, stal!, baggase and coconut
fibre. (ll these natural fibres have e%cellent physical and mechanical properties and can be utilied more effectively in
the development of composite materials for various building applications.

)his paper gives an overall view of natural fibre in building industry, its technical comparison with the other traditional
building materials. (dvantages of using natural fibre materials over traditional building materials and its possible
growth in future are also discussed. ( large part of the paper deals in the systematic development of the natural fibre
composites in India and diversified efforts by various organiations for upgrading the technologies. )he technological
gap for the overall development of various natural fibre composites and its world scenario has also been covered.
Introduction
*rom centuries, man!ind has used the natural fibre for various types of application including building materials. In
most of the countries, users have e%plored the possibilities of using the natural fibre from different plants, which
includes bagasse, cereal straw, corn stal!, cotton stal!, !enaf, rice hus!+rice straw etc. #ost of the fibre were used
mainly for the production of hard board and particle board. $mergence of polymers in the beginning of the ,-
th

century has provided the researcher the new dimensions to use the natural fibre in more diversified fields. (t the same
time the necessity has also increased the interest in synthetic fibre li!e glass fibre which due to its superior dimensional
and other properties seems to be gaining popularity and slowly replacing the natural fibre in different applications. (s a
result of this change in the raw material and production process of synthetic fibre based composites, energy
consumption has increased )he environmental loss suffered by the society due to the pollution generation during the
production & recycling of these synthetic based materials has once again drawn the attention for the use of natural
fibre. )he renewed interest resulted in the new ways of natural fibre modifications+use and brought it to be at
par+superior to synthetic fibres. .ow it is in use from ma!ing rope to spacecraft applications and the building industry
has also come out as one of its main beneficiaries.
Natural fibre composites in India
Due to the light weight, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance and other advantages, natural fibre based
composites are becoming important composite materials in building and civil engineering fields. In case of synthetic
fibre based composites, despite the usefulness in service, these are difficult to be recycled after designed service life.
/owever, natural fibre based composites are environment friendly to a large e%tent. )hese natural fibre based
composites came into e%istence after a lot of R&D efforts, a few of these important composites are summerised in the
following te%t.
Background: national scenario of natural fibre composites
.atural fibres as reinforcing agent in composite matrices 0such as cement and polymer1 are attracting more attention for
various low"cost building products. )he natural fibres are abundantly available locally and e%tracted from renewable
resources. 2resently, the production of natural fibres in India is more than &'' million tonnes. )he appro%imate
production of various type of natural fibres is given in )able ,.
)able , (vailability of natural fibre in India and its applications in building materials
Item Source 3ty. in #t+4r. (pplication in building material
Rice /us! Rice mills 5' (s fuel, for manufacturing building materials and
products for production of rice hus! binder, fibrous
building panels, bric!s, acid proof cement
6anana leaves+stal! 6anana plants '.5' In the manufacture of building boards, fire
resistance fibre board
7oconut hus! 7oir fibre industry ,.8' In the manufacture of building boards, roofing
sheets, insulation boards, building panels, as a
lightweight aggregate, coir fibre reinforced
composite, cement board, geo"te%tile, rubberied
coir
9roundnut shell 9roundnut oil mills ,,.'' In the manufacture of buildings panels, building
bloc!s, for ma!ing chip boards, roofing sheets,
particle boards
:ute fibre :ute Industry ,.&& *or ma!ing chip boards, roofing sheets, door
shutters
Rice+wheat straw (gricultural farm ,5.'' #anufacture of roofing units and walls
panels+boards
Saw mill waste Saw mills+wood 5.'' #anufacture of cement bonded wood chips, bloc!s,
boards, particle boards, insulation boards,
briquettes
Sisal fibres Sisal plantation .'5; 0(sia1 *or plastering of walls and for ma!ing roofing
sheets, composite board with rice hus!, cement
roofing sheet, roofing tiles, manufacturing of paper
and pulp
7otton stal! 7otton plantation ,.,' *ibre boards, panel, door shutters, roofing sheets,
autoclaved cement composite, paper, plastering of
walls
)he present requirement of wood in India is about 5- million cubic metres, where as, the estimated production is about
,8 million cubic metres only. (part from wood, natural fibre composites are emerging with an increasing role in
building industry to replace timber, steel, aluminium, concrete etc. 7omposites are being used for prefabricated,
portable and modular buildings as well as for e%terior cladding panels.
)able 5 shows the cellulose and lignin contents and some other properties of a few fibres available in India. So far, the
utilisation of sisal, jute, coir and baggase fibres has found many successful applications.
Table 2 Properties of some vegetable fibres used in India for composites
*ibre 7ellulose content
0<1
=ignin content
0<1
Dia 0um1 >)S 0#.+m
5
1 $longation #a%.
0<1
$lastic #odulus
6anana 8& ? ?'"5?' @''"@A' ;.@ 5@";5
Sisal @' ,5 ?'"5'' ?;'"8;' ?., ,@"55
2ineapple A? ,5 5'"A' ;8'"@&- 5.A 5&";?
7oir ;@ &5 ,''"&?' ,'8",@? &@ ;"8
)alipot 8A 5A A'"A'' ,&;"58; ?., ,'",;
2olymer &'"?' &5 @'",;'' ,A'"5?' 5.A &"8

Coir composites
Since coconut is available in India in abundance, the second highest in the world after 2hilippines, the coir fibre has
been investigated most e%tensively. #ost importantly, coir fibre has been recognised as highly durable fibre in all types
of matrices vi., polymer, bitumen, cement, gypsum, flyash"lime, mud, etc.
:ute"coir composites
:ute"coir composite provides an economic alternative to wood for the construction industry. It involves the production
of coir"ply boards with oriented jute as face veneer and coir plus waste rubber wood inside. )he coir fibre contains
about &8< lignin as against ;-< in tea! wood. )herefore, it is more resistant than tea! wood against rotting under wet
and dry conditions and has better tensile strength. )he composite board namely, coir"ply boards 0juteBrubber
woodBcoir1 as plywood substitute and natural fibre reinforced boards 0juteBcoir1 as #D* substitute can be used in
place of wood or #D* boards for partitioning, false ceiling, surface paneling, roofing, furniture, cupboards, wardrobes
etc. )his composite is mainly produced commercially in India by C.atural *ibretech 2vt. =td., 6angalore. .ational
Institute of Research on :ute and (pplied *ibre )echnology 0.IR:(*)1, Dol!ata has also come out with a number of
technologies, which help to a great e%tent for the commercialiation of jute+coir based composites.
6amboo and its composites in housing
6amboo is a very well !nown and popular construction material through out the tropics, particularly in bamboo rich
regions. 6amboo is the fastest growing plant and possesses e%cellent physical and mechanical properties E weight by
weight it is stronger than steel. I2IR)I, 6angalore in association with 6#)27 has successfully developed and
transferred the technologies for manufacturing 6amboo #at 6oard 06#61, 6amboo #at Feneer 7omposites 06#F71
and 6amboo #at 7orrugated Sheets 06#7S1. Gne commercial plant has been set up in #eghalaya for manufacturing
6#7S, an e%cellent eco"friendly roofing product, having manufacturing capacity of ;''' sheets per month.
Sisal fibre and its applications
Sisal fibre obtained from the leaf of sisal plant has been proved to be very suitable reinforcement in various polymeric
matrices. )he 7entral 6uilding Research Institute, Roor!ee and Regional Research =aboratory, 6hopal have
investigated several techniques for sisal fibre surface modification for its use in the production of roofing sheets.
6#)27, .ew Delhi & )I*(7 0DS)1 has also sponsored a number of schemes+projects for natural fibre reinforced
composite building materials. (part form the above natural fibre composite materials, a number of reports and research
papers published by RR=, )rivandrum and other research laboratories suggest, use of bagasse, pine needles, banana
leaves, fla% cotton fibres etc. for the development of different building materials. In RR=, )rivandrum a lot of research
has been carried out on the development of different natural fibre based composites and a number of these technologies
are at commercialisation stages. )able ; gives a technical comparison of natural fibre composites over the other
conventional materials.
Table 3 Comparative technical features of !PC and other materials
Test conducted "nit !PC #$! P%C Teak Particle
board
Density 0tested as per
ISH5;A' part IIIH ,-@@1
9+cc ,.@5",.@8
0,.8?",.@1
'.?"'.- ,.;",.?A '.85"'.8& '.?"'.-
#oisture content < '.5"'.;A ?"A .( ,'",5 ?",?
#odulus of rupture
0tested as per ISH5;A'
part IFH,-@@1
.+mm
5
A?"-? 0min 5A1 ,5.?",? 8A",,' ,,.8",& ,5.?",?
)ensile strength 0tested
as per ISH5;A' part F
& FIH,-@@1
.+mm
5
55"5& 0min ,@1 '.8"'.@ .( .( '.&"'.&?
7ompression
perpendicular to
surface
.+mm
5
@A.&A",', .( .( 5.?"& .(
7ompression parallel
to surface
.+mm
5
&&"?, .( .( 8.&"A.A .(
Iater absorption 0tested as per ISH5;A' part JFIH ,-@@1
5 hours < '.,?"'.& 0ma% ,'<1 8",' .( .( 8",'
5& hours < ,.,",.? 0ma% ,'<1 8",' .( .( ,@"5'
Test conducted "nit !PC #$! P%C Teak Particle
board
Swelling in water 0tested as per ISH5;A' part JFIIH,-@@1
=ength < '"'.;8 0#a% .?<1 '.;"'.;? .( .( '.&?"'.?
Iidth < '"'.&@ 0#a%.?<1 '.;"'.;? .( .( '.&?"'.?
)hic!ness < '",.;A 0#a%.?<1 ;.?"& .( .( 8.?"A
*ire retardency 0tested
as per 6SH&@8 part
FH,-@-K6SH&@8 part
FIIH,-A@1
" Self e%tinguishing in
,? seconds
.( .( .( .(
Note: Figures in brackets show codal values
.atural fibre composites in other countries
Iorld production of the plant fibres is estimated to be around ;,'' million tonnes in which the share of cotton fibre is
around ,@?' million tonnes and of straws is about ,;'' million tonnes. 7ompared to the cost of various fibres, the
cotton fibre is the most e%pensive, followed by fla%, abaca, sisal, coir and jute. Straw is cheapest one if we compare the
worldwide cost of all fibres. ( focused research wor! is in progress in almost all the natural fibre"rich countries, for
developing appropriate technologies for fibre"reinforced composites. ( survey of planned facilities in .orth (merican
countries indicates use of over @'' thousand cubic metres of agricultural fibre in the manufacturing of #D* and
particles board 0)able &1.
Table & Composite board facilities in North American countries
#aterial Countr' Capacit'
(thousand cubic meters)
2article 6oard >S
7anada
#e%ico
Total
-;?'
5A&?
A;&
*3+2&
$%truded particle board >S &,
#edium Density *ibre board >S
7anada
#e%ico
Total
;;8;
,5;8
8'
&,-.
2lanned e%pansions #D* >S and 7anada 5&;&
7urrently using agriculture fibres >S and 7anada 5-A
2lan to use agriculture fibres >S and 7anada @'@
( literature search was conducted at the >SD( 0>S(1 forest service. *orest 2roducts =aboratory survey showed that
almost every conceivable type of natural fibrous material could be considered for some type of building material and
many of them are being used worldwide today. )his account provides a good encouragement and opportunity for
utilisation of natural fibres in India also for production of composites for building.
)echnological gaps and future areas
Building components made from agricultural materials fall into the same product categories as other wood
based composition products. Low-density insulation boards, medium-density fibre boards, hard boards,
particle board and other building components such as walling and roofing can be manufactured using
natural fibres. Binders used may be synthetic, thermosetting/thermoplastics, resins, modified naturally
occurring resins like tannin or lignin, starches and other organic and inorganic binders, or binder may not be
required at all. There seems to be little restriction to what has been tried and what may work. But still the
large-scale availability of natural fibres in different geographic regions suggests that a lot of research and
development work is required for proper utilisation of available natural fibres.
aps in research are mainly that relate to knowledge of fibre e!traction technology, chemical and physical
characterisation, possible modification of the fibre interfaces and the processing techniques and their
relation to the manufacturing technologies for final products.
In case of aspect ratio of the plant fibres, a distinction is to be made between individual fibres and fibre bundle.
Diameter and length of the fibres are also very important factors while designing any products, because varying length
and diameter can be deciding factors for the properties of the final products. )here is a wide range of variation in
density because of central void or lumen. Foids are seen as initiating crac!s and allowing their propagation may lead to
failure of composite dimension or abnormal delimitation.
)he renewed interest in industrial use of plant fibres has led to worldwide research into production of a number of
products based on plant fibres. )hese products may be divided into two main groups i.e.
#ats: *ilters, 9rowth media, Insulation, 9eote%tiles and
Composites" *ibre+composites, *ibre+cement composites, composite product design etc.
Ior! done by the 6uilding #aterials & )echnology 2romotion 7ouncil
)he 6#)27 have provided e%tensive encouragement, technical and financial assistance for the R & D projects,
appropriate machine development and commercialiation of the technologies related to development of fibre based
composites. )he chief among them areH
L :ute fibre"red mud polymer door composite 0*R271
L Sisal fibre"red mud"polymer composites 0SR271
L 7otton fibre"phinolic resin medium density fibre board 0#D*1
L 2oplar+rubber wood laminated split lumber 02+R=S=1
L 6anana leaf medium density board
L 6amboo based corrugated roofing sheet and flooring mat
Conclusion
)he research and development wor! carried out by the different agencies has established that natural fibres due its
technical superiority over the synthetic fibres has proved that it is a versatile material for application in rural areas to
high tech applications. )he need of the hour is to use these naturally available materials in order to save the
environment and energy consumption which is required in the processing of man made synthetic composites. 6ut, still
more research and development is required for the e%traction and characteriation of the basic materials i.e. fibres so to
avoid any set bac! during the finaliation of the complete process for upscaling of technology from lab scale to
commercial level.
Ackno/ledgement
(uthors are grateful to the $D, 6#)27 for providing chance to contribute the paper in the seminar.
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