A Sustainable and Biodegradable Building Block: Review on Mechanical Properties of Bamboo Fibre Reinforced PLA Polymer Composites and Their Emerging Applications

The development of bamboo fibre (BF) reinforced poly lactic acid (PLA) BF-PLA composites has been growing fast among the natural fibre reinforced composites (NFRCs) over the past few years. BF-PLA composites have gained significant interest as sustainable alternative materials for the engineering and industrial sectors. BF-PLA composites are getting popular due to their remarkable features such as eco-friendliness, biodegradability, recyclability, low cost, low specific weight, and improved mechanical and thermal properties. In this paper, a schematic review of the BF-PLA composites was conducted in terms of mechanical properties (i.e., tensile properties, flexural properties, and impact strength), thermal characteristics with and without chemical treatment, and creep behaviour. Moreover, the sustainability aspects, including biodegradability and recyclability of BF-PLA composites, have been discussed based on various manufacturing methods. In addition, the utilization of BF-PLA composites in the additive manufacturing industry, sustainable packaging, structural, dielectric, and automotive applications are also described to make elevations toward future research and industrial implementations or commercialization. Furthermore, the effects of 3D printing parameters on the mechanical and physical properties of printed BF-PLA objects have been summarized. Significantly, this paper highlights the limitations and future perspectives of the BF-PLA composites.