Abstract
Fibers obtained from different parts of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) have been under investigation for possible use in construction. Studies have been carried out investigating the engineering properties and possible applications of these fibers. However, the experimental methods employed and the values of mechanical and physical properties recorded by various authors are inconsistent. It has therefore become necessary to organize information which would be useful in the design of oil palm fiber cement composites and help researchers and engineers make informed decisions in further research and application. This review provides information about fibers from different parts of the oil palm, their properties, enhancement techniques, current and potential application in cement composites.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Balasubramanian J C, Selvan S S. Experimental investigation of natural fiber reinforced concrete in construction industry. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 2015, 2(1): 179–182
Ardanuy M, Claramunt J, Toledo Filho R D. Cellulosic fiber reinforced cement-based composites: A review of recent research. Construction & Building Materials, 2015, 79: 115–128
Colorado H A, Loaiza A. Portland cement paste blended with pulverized coconut fibers. Advances in Materials Science for Environmental and Energy Technologies, 2018, 6: 77–84
Ramakrishna G, Sundararajan T. Impact strength of a few natural fibre reinforced cement mortar slabs: A comparative study. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2005, 27(5): 547–553
Elenga R G, Dirras G F, Goma Maniongui J, Djemia P, Biget M P. On the microstructure and physical properties of untreated raffia textilis fiber. Composites. Part A, Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2009, 40(4): 418–422
Agarwal A, Nanda B, Maity D. Experimental investigation on chemically treated bamboo reinforced concrete beams and columns. Construction & Building Materials, 2014, 71: 610–617
Oladele I O, Omotoyinbo J A, Adewara J O T. Investigating the effect of chemical treatment on the constituents and tensile properties of sisal fibre. Journal of Minerals and Minerals Characterisation and Engineering, 2010, 9(6): 569–582
Asim M, Abdan K, Jawaid M, Nasir M, Dashtizadeh Z, Ishak M R, Hoque M E. A review on pineapple leaves fibre and its composites. International Journal of Polymer Science, 2015, 2015: 1–16
Agopyan A, Savastano H J Jr, John V M, Cincotto M A. Developments on vegetable fibre-cement based materials in Sao Paulo, Brazil: An overview. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2005, 27(5): 527–536
Claramunt J, Fernández-Carrasco L J, Ventura H, Ardanuy M. Natural fiber nonwoven reinforced cement composites as sustainable. Construction & Building Materials, 2016, 115: 230–239
Ismail S, Yaacob Z. Properties of laterite bricks reinforced with oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres. Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2011, 19(1): 22–43
Chan C M. Effect of natural fibres inclusion in clay bricks: Physicomechanical properties. International Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2011, 5(1): 7–13
Sethunarayanan R, Chockalingam S, Ramanathan R. Natural fiber reinforced concrete. In: International Symposium on recent Developments in Concrete Fiber Composites. Washington D. C.: Transportation Research Board, 1989
Aziz M A, Paramasivam P, Lee S L. Prospects for natural fibre reinforced concretes in construction. International Journal of Cement Composites and Lightweight Concrete, 1981, 3(2): 123–132
Al-Oraimi S K, Seibi A C. Mechanical characterisation and impact behaviour of concrete reinforced with natural fibres. Composite Structures, 1995, 32(1–4): 165–171
Olaoye R A, Oluremi J R, Ajamu S O. The use of fibre waste as complement in concrete in concrete for a sustainable environment. Innovative Systems Design and Engineering, 2013, 4(9): 91–97
Benmansour N, Agoudjil B, Gherabli A, Kareche A, Boudenne A. Thermal and mechanical performance of natural mortar reinforced with date palm fibers for use as insulating materials in buildings. Energy and Building, 2014, 81: 98–104
Page J, Khadraoui F, Boutouil M, Gomina M. Multi-physical properties of a structural concrete incorporating short flax fibers. Construction & Building Materials, 2017, 140: 344–353
Onuaguluchi O, Banthia N. Plant-based natural fibre reinforced cement composites: A review. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2016, 68: 96–108
Teo D C L, Mannan M A, Kurian J V. Flexural behaviour of reinforced lightweight concrete beams made with oil palm shell (OPS). Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology, 2006, 4(3): 459–468
Salau M A, Adegbite I, Ikponmwosa E E. Characteristic strength of concrete column reinforced with bamboo strips. Journal of Sustainable Development, 2011, 5(1): 133–143
Snoeck D, Smetryns P A, De Belie N. Improved multiple cracking and autogeneous healing in cementitious materials by means of chemically-treated natural fibres. Biosystems Engineering, 2015, 139: 87–99
Wei J, Meyer C. Improving degradation resistance of sisal fiber in concrete through fiber surface treatment. Applied Surface Science, 2014, 289: 511–523
Shinoj S, Visvanathan R, Panigrahi S, Kochubabu M. Oil palm fiber (OPF) and its composites: A review. Industrial Crops and Products, 2011, 33(1): 7–22
Hashima F S, Yussof H W, Moh’d M A K, Zaharia R A R, Illiash R M. Physiochemical and morphological characterisation of the native and alkaline pre-treated fiber pressed oil palm frond for fermentable sugars production. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2017, 56: 1087–1092
Patel J P, Parsania P H. Characterization, testing, and reinforcing materials of biodegradable composites. In: Woodhead Publishing Series in Composites Science and Engineering. Cambridge: Wood-head Publishing, 2018, 55–79
Machaka M, Basha H, Chakra H A, Elkordi A. Alkali treatment of fan palm natural fibers for use in fiber reinforced concrete. European Scientific Journal, 2014, 10(12): 186–195
Ozerkan N G, Ahsan B, Mansour S, Iyengar S R. Mechanical performance and durability of treated palm fiber reinforced mortars. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 2013, 2(2): 131–142
Westland J A, O’Callaghan D J. U. S. Patent No. 8,435,345. 2013
Weerawarna S A, O’Callaghan D J. U. S. Patent No. 9,056,792. 2015
Lertwattanaruk P S A, Suntijitto A. Properties of natural fiber cement materials containing coconut coir and oil palm fibers for residential building applications. Construction & Building Materials, 2015, 94(1): 664–669
Coutts R S. A review of Australian research into natural fiber cement composites. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2005, 27(5): 518–526
Javadian A, Wielopolski M, Smith I F, Hebel D E. Bond-behaviour study of newly developed bamboo-composite reinforcement in concrete. Construction & Building Materials, 2016, 122: 110–117
Abu A K, Yalley P P K, Adogla F. The use of raffia palm (raffia hookeri) piassava fibers as reinforcement of concrete. International Journal of Engineering Science, 2016, 5(6): 1–6
Food and Agriculture Oganization. World Agriculture: Towards 2030/2050—Interim Report. Rome: FAO, 2006
Shibata M, Varman M, Tono Y, Miyafuji H, Saka S. Characterisation in chemical composition of of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Journal of the Japan Institute of Energy, 2008, 87(5): 383–388
Momoh E O, Dahunsi B I. Suitability of oil-palm-broom-fibres as reinforcement for laterite-based roof tiles. International Journal of Software & Hardware Research in Engineering, 2017, 5(4): 27–35
Taiwo O F A W, Alkarkhi A F, Ghazali A, Wan Daud W. Optimization of the strength properties of waste oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fronds fiber. Journal of Natural Fibers, 2017, 14(4): 551–563
Obilade I O, Olutoge F A. Flexural characteristics of oil palm stem reinforced concrete beams. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Asian Research Publishing Network), 2013, 5(3): 21–25
Shareef E T D, Ramli M B. Study on the effect of using palm fiber on the properties of high strength flowable mortar. In: The 34th Conference on Our World in Concrete & Structures. Singapore: CI-Premier, 2009
Kaliwon J, Ahmad S S, Aziz A A. Performance of oil palm EFB fibre reinforced concrete roof slates. In: International Conference on Science and Social Science Research (CSSR). Kuala Lumpur, 2010
Ofuyatan O, Olutoge F. Flexural characteristics and potentials of oil palm stem as reinforcement in concrete beams. Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2013, 4(4): 642–647
Or K H, Putra A, Selamat M Z. Oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers as sustainable acoustic absorber. Applied Acoustics, 2017, 119: 9–16
Sreekala M S, Kumaran M G, Thomas S. Oil palm fibers: Morphology, chemical composition, surface modification, and mechanical properties. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 1997, 66(5): 821–835
Danso H. Properties of coconut, oil palm and bagasse fibres: As potential building materials. In: The 3rd International Conference on Natural Fibers: Advanced Materials for a Greener World. Braga: Procedia Engineering, 2017
Ahmad Z, Saman H M, Tahir F M. Mechanical properties of oil palm trunk fibre reinforced concrete. In: The 26th Conference on Our World in Concrete & Structure. Singapore: CI-Premier, 2001
Zulkifli R, Nor M J M, Ismail A R, Nuawi M Z, Abdullah S, Tahir M F M, AbRahman M N. Comparison of acoustic properties between coir fibre and oil palm fibre. European Journal of Scientific Research, 2009, 33(1): 144–152
Yalley P P, Kwan A S K. Use of coconut fiber as an enhancement of concrete. Journal of Engineering Technology, 2009, 3: 54–73
Yahaghi J, Muda Z C, Beddu S B. Impact resistance of oil palm shells concrete reinforced with polypropylene fiber. Construction & Building Materials, 2016, 123: 394–403
Muda Z C, Malik G, Usman F, Beddu S, Alam M A, Mustapha K N, Birima A H, Zarroq O S, Sidek, L M, Rashid M A. Impact resistance of sustainable construction material using light weight oil palm shells reinforced geogrid concrete slab. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 16(1), IOP Publishing, 2013
Poh-Yap S, Johnson-Alengaram U, Hung-Mo K, Zamin-Jumaat M. High strength oil palm shell concrete beams reinforced with steel fibers. Materiales de Construcción, 2017, 67(328): 142–152
Mayowa I C, Chinwuba A. Effects of oil palm fibre on the compressive strength of mortar. Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2013, 4(5): 714–716
Ahmad Z, Saman H M, Tahir P M. Oil palm trunk fiber as a bio-waste resource for concrete reinforcement. International Journal of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 2010, 5(2): 199–207
Ahmad M H, Nurazuwa M N. Mix design of palm oil fiber concrete. In: International Conference on Civil Engineering (ICCE08). Pahang: Universiti tun Hussein onn Malaysia, 2008
Poornima J, Sivaraja M. Rehabilitation of RC beams using natural fiber (Jute) reinforced polymer composites. Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems, 2015, 28(1): 311–316
Mo K H, Visintin P, Alengaram U J, Jumaat M Z. Prediction of the structural behaviour of oil palm shell lightweight concrete beams. Construction & Building Materials, 2016, 102: 722–732
Dungani R, Jawaid M, Khalil H P S A, Jasni J, Aprilia S, Hakeem K R, Hartati S, Islam M N. A review on quality enhancement of oil palm trunk waste by resin impregnation: Future materials. BioResources, 2013, 8(2): 3136–3156
Abdul Khalil H P S, Jawaid M, Hassan M T, Paridah A Z. Oil palm biomass fibres and recent advancement in oil palm biomass fibres based hybrid biocomposites. In: Composites and Their Applications. London: IntechOpen, 2012, 187–220
Nadlene R, Sapuan S M, Jawaid M, Ishak M R, Yusriah L. A review on roselle fiber and its composites. Journal of Natural Fibers, 2016, 13(1): 10–41
Kelly-Yong T L, Lee K T, Mohamed A R, Bhatia S. Potential of hydrogen from oil palm biomass as a source of renewable energy worldwide. Energy Policy, 2007, 35(11): 5692–5701
Sreekala M S, Kumaran M G, Joseph S, Jacob M, Thomas S. Oil palm fibre reinforced phenol formaldehyde composites: Influence of fibre surface modifications on the mechanical performance. Applied Composite Materials, 2000, 7(5/6): 295–329
Sreekala M S, George J, Kumaran M G, Thomas S. The mechanical performance of hybrid phenol-formaldehyde-based composites reinforced with glass and oil palm fibres. Composites Science and Technology, 2002, 62(3): 339–353
Jacob M, Thomas S, Varughese K T. Mechanical properties of sisal/oil palm hybrid fiber reinforced natural rubber composites. Composites Science and Technology, 2004, 64(7–8): 955–965
Agrawal R, Saxena N S, Sharma K B, Thomas S, Sreekala M S. Activation energy and crystallization kinetics of untreated and treated oil palm fiber reinforced phenol formaldehyde composites. Materials Science and Engineering A, 2000, 277(1–2): 77–82
Jayashree E, Mandal P K, Madhava M, Kamraj A, Sireesha K. Development of a decorticator for extraction of quality fiber from oil palm empty fruit bunches. In: The 15th Plantation Crops Symposium Placrosym XV. Mysore: Central Coffee Research Institute, 2002
Bahari M A M. Oil palm trunk (OPT) as an alternative cellulosic material for brown paper production. Thesis for the Master’s Degree. Pekan Pahang: Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 2010
Koba Y, Ishizaki A. Chemical composition of palm fiber and its feasibility as cellulosic raw material for sugar production. Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, 1990, 54(2): 1183–1187
Norul Izani M A, Paridah M T, Anwar U M K, Mohd Nor M Y, H’ng P S. Effects of fiber treatment on morphology, tensile and thermogravimetric analysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches fibers. Composites. Part B, Engineering, 2013, 45(1): 1251–1257
Fatra W, Sanjaya R, Zulfansyah Z, Rionaldo H, Helwani Z. Alkaline treatment of oil palm frond fibers by using extract of oil palm EFB ash for better adhesion toward polymeric matrix. Journal of Engineering and Technological Sciences, 2015, 47(5): 498–507
Nishiyama Y, Okano T. Morphological changes of ramie fiber during mercerization. Journal of Wood Science, 1998, 44(4): 310–313
Beckermann G W, Pickering K L, Foreman N J. The processing, production and improvement of hemp-fibre reinforced polypropylene composite materials. In: Proceeding of the 2nd International Conference on Structure, Processing and Properties of Materials. Dharka: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2004
Yousif B F. Effect of oil palm fibers volume fraction on mechanical properties of polyster composites. International Journal of Modern Physics, 2010, 24(23): 4459–4470
Ismail M A, Hashim H. Palm oil fiber concrete. In: The 3rd ACF International Conference. Ho chi minh city, 2008
Musa A G, Rajoria N, Mohammed A G. Effect of palm oil fiber on laterized concrete. International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences, 2017, 5(5): 686–695
Wahab R. W. Samsi H, Mohamed A. Utilization potential of 30 year-old oil palm trunks laminated veneer lumbers for non-structural purposes. Journal of Sustainable Development, 2009, 1(3): 109–113
Saka S, Munusamy M V, Shibata M, Tono Y, Miyafuji H. Chemical constituents of the different anatomical parts of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) for their sustainable utilization. In: JSPS-VCC Group Seminar 2008, Natural Resources and Energy Environment. Kyoto, 2008
Ahmad Z, Ibrahim A, Tahir P. Drying shrinkage characteristic of concrete reinforced with oil palm trunk fiber. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 2010, 2(5): 1441–1450
Karade S R. Cement-bonded composites from lignocellulosic wastes. Construction & Building Materials, 2010, 24(8): 1323–1330
Choowang R, Hiziroglu S. Properties of thermally-compresses oil palm trunks (Elaeis guineensis). Journal of Tropical Forest Science, 2015, 27(1): 39–46
Mahat N, Yaacob Z, Mastan N F, Abd Rashid A F, Zainordin Z, Mohamed Rashid M R, Husin H N, Khalil N, Mat Noor M N, Wan Abdullah W F I, Abd Rahman N A, Ahmad S. Comparison study on oil palm trunk and oil palm fruit bunch fiber reinforced laterite bricks. Modern Applied Science, 2010, 4(7): 119–129
Mazlan D, Abdul Awal A S M. Properties of cement base composites containing oil palm stem as fiber reinforcement. Malaysian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2012, 24(2): 107–117
Tomimura Y. Chemical characteristics and utilization of oil palm trunks. Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly, 1992, 25: 283–288
Abdullah A, Abdullah M M A B, Kamarudin H, Ghazali C M R, Salleh M A A M, Sang P K, Muhammad Faheem M T. Study on the properties of oil palm trunk fiber (OPTF) in cement composite. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 2013, 421: 395–400
Nwankwojike B N, Agunwamba J C, Onwuka O S. Design and Development of Palm Frond Broom Peeling Machine. Patent No. NG/P/2014/177. 2014
Nduka B. Development of abrasive selection model/chart for palm frond broom peeling machine design. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, 2014, 4(12): 84–90
Kassim A S M, Mohd A A, Nadiah I, Hafeez Z M, Dayang Z N F A. Oil palm leaf fibre and its suitability for paper-based products. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Asian Research Publishing Network), 2006, 11(11): 7364–7369
Terai M, Minami K. Research and development on bamboo reinforced concrete structure. In: Proceedings of the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Lisbon, 2012
Puspasari I, Talib M Z M, Daud W R W, Tasirin S M. Characteristc drying curve of oil palm fibers. International Journal on Advanced Science, 2014, 4(1): 20–24
Pacheco-Torgal F, Jalali S. Cementitious building materials reinforced with vegetable fibres: A review. Construction & Building Materials, 2010, 25(2): 575–581
Acknowledgements
This project was funded by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) of Nigeria (No. PTDF/ED/PHD/MEO/1057/17).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Momoh, E.O., Osofero, A.I. Recent developments in the application of oil palm fibers in cement composites. Front. Struct. Civ. Eng. 14, 94–108 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-019-0576-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-019-0576-9