A review on date palm (phoenix dactylifera) fibers and its polymer composites

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is the most significant agricultural crop, found abundantly in the Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, Northern Africa, Pakistan, India, and the United States (California). Huge deposition of more than 15000 tons of date palm leaves and trunk are generated as wastes alone in Saudi Arabia. The date palm fibers from trunk and leaf possess considerable mechanical strength and modulus to many of the natural fibers and higher with respect to E-glass fibers and many aluminium alloys. Wide varieties of both thermosets and thermoplastics polymers have been modified by the reinforcement of date palm fibers derived from leaf and trunk. Date palm fibers represent a promising alternative substitute to synthetic fibers in polymer composite industries for both advanced structural and semi-structural applications. Present review article designed to be a comprehensive source of recent literature and study on date palm fibers origin, cultivation and its surface modifications. This article also intended to covers the recent findings in date palm fibers reinforced polymer composites with some interest on physical structure and chemical compositions, including their different commercial applications.