Mechanical and aging performances of Palm/ Wool and Palm/ Polyester nonwovens coated by waterborne polyurethane for automotive interiors

[Display omitted] •Washingtonia palm was introduced to the textile industry for use in car interiors.•Palm fiber treatment reduces its rigidity and expands its textile applications.•Tensile, abrasion and climate resistance are the main features of coated nonwovens.•According to FTIR and SEM analysis, polyurethane adheres well to produced nonwovens.•Developed nonwovens result in aesthetically pleasing fabrics with a golden hue. The Washingtonia palm (Arecaceae) is a fast-growing species. Their management generates a large amount of biomass each year, which is generally disposed of in landfills or burned on-site without being valorized. In this work, the petiole part of Washingtonia palm was introduced in the automotive industry for interior applications through the production of soft feel eco-friendly bio-composite nonwovens made of Palm, Wool, and Polyester fibers through a needle-punching process. Initially, palm microfibrils were extracted in a solution containing sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at concentrations equal to 0.70 %. Subsequently, composite nonwovens were manufactured from the Palm/ Wool (P/W) and Palm/ Polyester (P/PES) blends with a weight proportion of 3/1. Afterwards, nonwovens were coated with different percentages of WPU (2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%), dried at 120 °C and hot calendered between two rolls at 20 K N pressure and 140 °C temperature. Developed nonwovens were tested for physical, morphological, mechanical, climatic, and abrasion resistance performance. The findings revealed that Washingtonia palm-based biocomposite nonwovens treated with WPU proportions equal to/or higher than 10 wt% had excellent tensile strength and abrasion resistance. The climate aging test, on the other hand, confirmed their durability. The FTIR and SEM data indicated that WPU polymer adheres well to P/W and P/PES nonwovens. Furthermore, they provide aesthetically pleasing fabrics with a golden color appearance, low raw material costs, and environmental benefits, suggesting that they could be a suitable candidate for automotive interior applications.