Lignocellulosic biomass can be used as an additive in thermoplastics like polylactic acid (PLA) for making materials through the fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technology. Its use in 3D-printed materials opens a new path for utilization of low-value biomass or end-of-cycle waste that conforms to the idea of circular economy. However, biomass addition to plastics has a large impact on extrusion-based 3D printing filament production and 3D printing machine parameters which needed thorough investigation with the intent of developing good, reliable, reduced cost, environmental-friendly and consumer-based do-it-yourself methods. Here we present the findings from primarily using poplar hardwood at 20 wt.% with PLA using small-scale equipment to produce printed renewable materials. New methods of size reduction of plastics and poplar were developed that allowed superior and solvent-free filament production and consistent printing without clogging of the hot-end of a benchtop 3D printer. Size reduction by ultra-fine fibrillation technique was applied for the first time to see how fibrillated poplar affects printing processes in comparison to the conventionally-used ball-milled poplar. A major finding was that the addition of poplar (and biomass in general) to PLA at 20% requires a higher printing temperature of 230 °C to achieve consistent flow. Several varieties of poplar were used to see how biomass structure affects the tensile properties of the composites. Overall, these findings show better methods for making 3D-printed materials that contain lignocellulosic biomass.

Methods of processing of thermoplastics and lignocellulosic biomass for 3D printing

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.