Use of human hair fiber as a reinforcement in a cement fiberboard

Abstract

Human hair is a waste that needs to be disposed of properly since this waste has an unlimited supply and will take time to decompose. Proper utilization and repurposing of this waste will make the environment cleaner by developing cement fiberboard products. Reinforcing the cement will be a step up since hair fiber is an excellent addition to the cement's characteristics due to the hair's high tensile strength. This research aims to study the utilization of human hair fiber as a reinforcement in cement fiberboard and specifically to evaluate its effect, particularly on bulk density, water absorption, flexural strength, compressive strength, and fireproof capability, by following the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) guidelines. All these tests will be performed to observe the effectiveness of using human hair fiber in a cement fiberboard. Based on the results, adding a percentage of human hair fibers to a cement fiber board will improve some of the mechanical properties of the board, especially the flexural strength, proving that hair fibers have excellent tensile strength. The addition of human hair fibers increased the strength of the boards compared to controlled mixed samples, which proved that these fibers could be used as a viable alternative natural fiber for cement fiberboard and will also reduce human hair waste.