The effect of natural fibre reinforcement on polyurethane composite foams – A review

The use of natural fibre reinforced polyurethane composite foams is becoming increasingly popular in the cellular foam industry. This demand is due to the increase in the use of ecofriendly, biodegradable, and sustainable materials to produce polyurethane composite materials for such applications. In this regard, natural fibres from agro-waste are being preferred to their synthetic counterparts due to readily availability, strength, lightweight, biodegradability, and cost-effectiveness. In addition to their renewable nature, the use of natural fibre in polyurethane foams produces composite foams with better properties than the neat polyurethane foams. This review explores the preparation, and properties of natural fibre reinforced polyurethane composite foams and discusses the effect of chemical modification of these fibres on the interfacial adhesion of the fibre-polymer matrix system. It also assesses the trends and future potential of the global market of natural fibres and the polyurethane composite foams.