Unlocking the potential of lignocellulosic biomass in road construction: A brief review of OPF

Currently, oil palm fibre (OPF) is considered oil palm biomass, which is highly potential for road construction applications. The utilization of natural based by-products could promote sustainability in the construction and pavement technology, and it aids in the reduction of the raw material cost for this sector. Recently, various research findings have discovered that the OPF has extraordinary properties, which could act as an asphalt binder in stone mastic asphalt (SMA) preparation. For instance, the fibre from oil palm empty fruit bunches, palm kernel shell, frond, mesocarp fibre, and oil palm trunk is exploited in developing asphalt pavement applications after further processing to produce highly efficient bio-products. Thus, this paper provides a brief overview of the potential of natural fibre, especially oil palm empty fruit bunch, as a pavement material in SMA development. The background on the general requirements of pavement manufacturing has been expressed in the early part of the manuscript. Then, the overview of the properties of OPF is elaborated on its potential as a binder material for a sustainable pavement. It was discovered that crude palm oil and its by-products could be used to make sustainable and cost-effective asphalt and concrete.