Sunflower Seed Hulls as a Sustainable Material in the Composites Industry: An Overview

Abstract

Due to the abundance of sunflower by-products and the difficulty of digesting them, they constitute a large percentage of agricultural waste. Our goal here is to transform this waste into sustainable materials that can be used in many industrial applications. The multiple uses of sunflower have been discussed in our lives as a concrete stabilizer and corrosion inhibitor, in addition to its environmental benefits and mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties. Advanced studies have proven that sunflower husks are more than just waste, due to their promising future benefits when combined with other materials to become useful and environmentally friendly compounds It has chemical components that make it a material with a future in the composite materials industry, as the peel consists of hemicellulose, lignin, phenolic compounds and fatty acids, which enhances its mechanical properties when combined with polymers. Studies have also shown that combining peels with polymers such as polypropylene or epoxy will improve tensile and compressive resistance, in addition to having good thermal stability. From the above, it is clear that sunflower peels represent a vital resource for use in various industries. In this study, the uses of sunflower seed shells in various industrial applications will be highlighted, through which these applications will be developed.