Journal of Natural Fibers

From Biomass to Materials: Integrating Natural Fibers and Plant-Derived Dyes in Sustainable Industrial Applications

Natural fibers and plant-based dyes are closely connected in promoting sustainable systems, as both reduce dependence on petroleum and support a circular economy through renewable resources and biomass waste. Similarly, natural colorants derived from plants is widely used not only in textiles but also in food and beverages (F&B), cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products, offering safer and more eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic additives. These bio-based materials are also increasingly integrated into wood products, composite materials, polymeric adhesives, and even bioplastics, expanding their role in advanced material applications. However, like natural fibers, these natural colorants and bio-based systems face challenges such as inconsistency in quality, variability in performance, and limitations in strength, stability, and durability. Therefore, research focuses on improving uniformity, compatibility, and reliability, enabling broader and more consistent use across textiles, composite materials, packaging, and industrial applications.

Using natural fibers and plant-based colorants reduces reliance on petroleum, lowers environmental impact, and supports a circular economy by turning biomass into valuable resources. Expanding their use into textiles, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, composites, and bioplastics promotes sustainable supply chains. Research to improve consistency, strength, and stability is essential to make these eco-friendly materials practical and reliable for broad industrial applications.

Natural fibers and plant-based materials are gaining renewed attention as sustainable alternatives to synthetic fibers and petroleum-derived products. Their applications extend beyond textiles to advanced materials, including composites, polymeric adhesives, bioplastics, and wood-based products, as well as to natural colorants for textiles, food, beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. This Collection highlights recent innovations that address challenges in consistency, durability, and performance, enabling broader industrial adoption while promoting circular economy principles.

Subject and Subtopics:

1. Advances in Natural Fiber Processing – Improving uniformity, mechanical properties, and dimensional stability.
2. Natural Colorants and Bio-Based Additives – Plant-derived dyes for textiles, food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals; methods to enhance color fastness and stability.
3. Integration in Advanced Materials – Use in composites, polymeric adhesives, bioplastics, and wood-based products.
4. Sustainability and Circular Economy – Valorization of biomass, waste streams, and by-products from fiber and dye production.
5. Performance Enhancement Strategies – Surface treatments, compatibilizers, and hybrid systems for improved durability and functional properties.
6. Textile waste recycling – Color removal, challenges, regenerated fibers and waste to new product development.

Keywords:

1. natural fibers
2. bio-based colorants
3. plant-based dyes
4. biomass waste
5. circular economy

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

Journal of Natural Fibers accepts the following types of article: Research Articles, Brief Reports, and Review Articles.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is July 23, 2027.

Please contact Kara Roberts at kara.roberts@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Guest Advisors do not declare any potential conflicts of interests in line with our Editorial Policies.

Dr. Shahid Adeel is an Associate Professor of Applied Chemistry, Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University Faisalabad Pakistan His research focuses on the following topics: natural dyes; synthetic dyes; isolation of natural products for textiles; application of ultraviolet, microwave, ultrasonic and gamma radiations in extraction of natural products and synthetic dyeing of natural and synthetic fabrics.

Arif Nuryawan is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, specializing in forest products technology with research interests in materials science, particularly wood science, natural fibers and dyes, plastics, and polymeric materials for adhesive bonding of lignocellulosic materials, as well as innovative composite product development. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from IPB University and his PhD from Kyungpook National University, has supervised over 100 students, and published more than 75 scientific works while actively contributing to research collaborations, sustainability, and climate change mitigation.

Md. Reazuddin Repon is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Finland. He previously worked at the Department of Production Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology. His research focuses on biomaterials, green coloration and finishing, smart textiles, and recycling. His disciplinary expertise spans materials engineering, chemical engineering, and environmental engineering.