Hydrophobic treatment of natural fibers and their composites—A review

There is a growing interest in the development of natural fiber-reinforced composites, most likely due to their wide availability, low cost, environment friendliness, and sustainability. The market size for natural fiber-reinforced composites is projected to reach $5.83 billion by 2019, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.3%. The composite materials reinforced with wood, cotton, jute, flax or other natural fibers fall under this category. Meanwhile, some major factors limiting the large scale production of natural fiber composites include the tendency of natural fiber to absorb water, degradation by microorganisms and sunlight and ultimately low strength and service life. This paper has focused to review the different natural fiber treatments used to reduce the moisture absorption and fiber degradation. The effect of these treatments on the mechanical properties of these composites has also been summarized.