**4. Infusion of nanoclay-layered mineral silicate into natural fiber for improved composite properties**

Over the years, natural fibers have been chemically treated to remove wax, surface lignin, and another amorphous phase toward increasing properties [28, 32]. Researchers treat natural fiber to possess required properties that could be an alternative reinforcement to synthetic fiber. These treatment techniques have attracted several types of research resulting in the development of materials for different applications [33]. Mohan and Kanny [13] inched this process by infusing nanoclay into banana fiber through shear-induced force using sodium hydroxide chemical treatment techniques. The effect of the infused nanoparticle on the composite's structural, mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties was investigated and compared with composite reinforced with sodium hydroxide chemically treated fibers [13]. The aim of infusing nanoclay with alkaline treatment was expected to enhance the interfacial adhesion of fiber to increase further the mechanical and thermal properties of banana fiber-reinforced composite. Similarly, this study achieved two aims: remove unwanted hemicellulose, lignin, and amorphous phases of banana fiber and incorporate nanoclay to increase its concentration of nanoparticle in-house cellulose phases. Achieving these aims shows that nanoclay could be incorporated to enhance natural fiber-reinforced biocomposite either by infusing nanoclay into in-house cellulose

phases of fiber and infuse matrix or by dispersing it in matrix and infused into fiber mat or produce the composite using casting techniques.
