title: Utilization of agricultural and forest industry waste and residues in natural fiber-polymer composites: A review.
abstract: Natural fiber-polymer composites (NFPCs) are becoming increasingly utilized in a wide variety of applications because they represent an ecological and inexpensive alternative to conventional petroleum-derived materials. On the other hand, considerable amounts of organic waste and residues from the industrial and agricultural processes are still underutilized as low-value energy sources. Organic materials are commonly disposed of or subjected to the traditional waste management methods, such as landfilling, composting or anaerobic digestion. The use of organic waste and residue materials in NFPCs represents an ecologically friendly and a substantially higher value alternative. This is a comprehensive review examining how organic waste and residues could be utilized in the future as reinforcements or additives for NFPCs from the perspective of the recently reported work in this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: taneli.vaisanen@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Taneli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Väisänen
authors.affiliation: School of Forestry, Wood Materials Science, University of Eastern Finland, 80101 Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haapala
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Reijo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lappalainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomppo
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D016468:Forestry; D007220:Industrial Waste; D011108:Polymers; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods*; D018505:Waste Management
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Agricultural waste; Biochar; Biocomposites; Forest industry; Natural fiber-polymer composites; Sustainable development