From environmental aspects, the recovery of keratin waste is one of the important needs and therefore also one of the current topics of many research groups. Here, the keratin hydrolysate after basic hydrolysis was used as a filler in plasticized polylactic acid/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) blend under loading in the range of 1–20 wt%. The composites were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, and the effect of keratin on changes in molar masses of matrices during processing was investigated using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Thermal properties of the composites were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The effect of keratin loading on the mechanical properties of composite was investigated by tensile test and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Hydrolytic degradation of matrices and composites was investigated by the determination of extractable product amounts, GPC, DSC and NMR. Finally, microbial growth and degradation were investigated. It was found that incorporation of keratin in plasticized PLA/PHB blend provides material with good thermal and mechanical properties and improved degradation under common environmental conditions, indicating its possible application in agriculture and/or packaging.

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At present, 3D printing is experiencing a great boom. The demand for new materials for 3D printing is also related to its expansion. This paper deals with manufacturing innovative polymer composite filaments suitable for the Fused Filament Fabrication method in 3D printing. As a filler, common and uncostly glass beads were used and mixed with biocompatible and biodegradable poly (ε-caprolactone), as a polymer matrix. This material was characterized via several physical-chemical methods. The Youngs modulus was increasing by about 30% with 20% loading of glass beads, and simultaneously, brittleness and elongations were decreased. The glass beads do not affect the shore hardness of filaments. The rheological measurement confirmed the material stability in a range of temperatures 75–120 °C. The presented work aimed to prepare lightweight biocompatible, cheap material with appropriate mechanical properties, lower printing temperature, and good printing processing. We can assess that the goal was fully met, and these filaments could be used for a wide range of applications.