ABSTRACT
Diversification of natural fibers from their traditional markets to other potential sectors (building and furniture) has gained interest in developing countries to meet the pressing demands of conventional materials, especially wood substitutes.1-11 One of the promising applications of natural fibers is in polymer composites that can be molded into a variety of flat and complexshaped components by exploiting their attractive reinforcing potential. The incentive for producing these natural fiber-based components originates from their low cost, light weight, and oriented employment compared to synthetic fiber-based products. As a result, various items such as school buildings,3 food grain silos,3 prototypes of low-cost housing units,3,4 roofings,2 wood substitutes,4,5 and pipes17 have been made. Recently, research is being directed at producing low-cost composites by use of natural fiber-thermoplastic blends with the objective of substituting mineral fillers with chopped fibers in plastics.12,13 This area also encompasses a new means of effective utilization of natural fibers in packaging to replace wooden crates used for this purpose. For ensuring proven building materials, work has been extended by focusing on the hydrophobic fiber-matrix interface, improved dimensional stability against moisture
attack, and nonvulnerability toward other environmental agents.7,14-18 The physicomechanical properties of the resulting composites have been reported with mixed results, thus affecting their wider acceptability. This situation necessitates the generation of sufficient performance data, including weatherability, of natural fiber composites prior to use as building components.
