A Review on Recent Developments on Waste Human Hair Composite and Its Hybrids

Abstract

Human hair (HH) is considered a waste material generated in salons and barbershops in most societies, especially highly populated cities, where it is produced in large quantities, thus rekindling the interests of academics. Several studies are ongoing on the possibility of utilizing it as a reinforcement in polymer composites, either in its raw form or as extracted keratin nanoparticles, due to its unique features and the current global emphasis on circular economy. The present review seeks to provide a synopsis of recent developments in the utilization of HH and keratin in polymer composites. Composites from different HH loading, length, and chemical treatments were made using hand lay-up and hot compression molding methods. HH has been investigated in diverse composite systems, encompassing HH/natural fiber composites, HH/synthetic fiber composites, and keratin-reinforced composites. Our study revealed that these innovative materials exhibit enhanced energy absorption capacity, mechanical strength, hardness, and thermal properties, positioning them as promising choices for a wide range of engineering applications. The review further revealed that keratin nano-particles can be extracted from waste HH using various methods such as reduction alkaline hydrolysis and can be used as reinforcement in polymer composites.