Manufacturing of Biocomposites for Domestic Applications Using Bio-Based Filler Materials

TLDR

Filler materials add value and alter the characteristics of composite materials, and the use of bio‑based fillers in polymers has increased recently. The study aims to use low‑cost agricultural wastes as filler content to produce bioplastic composites. Bioplastic composites were prepared by compounding PLA with varying amounts of eggshell or walnut shell powder, plasticized with 5 wt % epoxidized soybean oil, and injection‑molded into dog‑bone specimens for mechanical, thermal, and optical testing. Mechanical testing revealed that all composites had lower tensile, impact, and flexural properties than virgin PLA, but the plasticized PLA–eggshell composite performed better than the plasticized PLA–walnut shell composite.

Abstract

Filler materials are considered added value (volume) to composite materials. The addition of filler materials leads to altering the material characteristics. Nowadays, there has been a notable increase in bio-based materials in polymers and polymer composites. In this regard, agricultural wastes (low-cost renewable substrates) are used as filler content to prepare bioplastic composites, as they are available plenty in quantity and economical in price. Bioplastics composite samples are compounded by adding different amounts of eggshell powder and walnut shell powder in weight proportion to the plasticized PLA. The plasticization is realized with 5 wt.% of Epoxidized Soybean Oil. The prepared bioplastic granules are further processed by injection molding to dog bone-shaped samples subjected to different mechanical, thermal, and optical microscopy tests. Mechanical tests such as Tensile, Charpy Impact, and Flexural tests yielded decreased properties compared to virgin PLA. However, the properties of plasticized PLA–ES composite showed better results than plasticized PLA–WS composite.