Beeswax as a natural alternative to synthetic waxes for fabrication of PLA/diatomaceous earth composites

Dobrosielska, Marta; Dobrucka, Renata; Kozera, Paulina; Brząkalski, Dariusz; Gabriel, Ewa; Głowacka, Julia; Jałbrzykowski, Marek; Kurzydłowski, Krzysztof J.; Przekop, Robert E.

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-28435-0

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Figure 5 illustrates the impact strength with filler loading for PLA composites containing ILS and WE fillers for two particles sizes of 63 µm and 32 µm. The pure PLA (e.g., the 4043D that was injection molded in this study) samples had an impact strength of 17.3 kJ•m −2 , which is in line with the literature impact strengths (un-notched Charpy) for PLA being between 19 kJ•m −2 [37] and 25 kJ•m −2 [15]. PLA composites in loadings of 5, 10, and 20 wt.% reduced in impact strength for composites containing 63 µm ILS fillers by 24%, 36%, and 41%, respectively, while 63 µm WE fillers were lowered by 49%, 53%, and 57%, respectively.…”

Section: Impact Propertysupporting

confidence: 89%

Bio-Based White Eggshell as a Value-Added Filler in Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites

Cree

Soleimani

2023

J. Compos. Sci.

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Based on its positive environmental impact, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has been a gradual substitute for synthetic plastics used in diverse applications. The use of industrial limestone (ILS) as a filler in polymers can have advantages of changing the properties of pure polymers. Waste eggshells (WE) can be seen as an alternative filler to ILS as they are also a source of calcium carbonate. To assess the feasibility of both filler types and sizes, PLA composites were manufactured by injection molding with filler contents of 5, 10, and 20 wt.%. Tensile, flexural, and impact mechanical properties were evaluated in addition to water absorption. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine whether statistically significant differences among the measured mechanical properties existed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to view the morphology of the fillers and fractured surfaces. The composite tensile strengths and flexural strengths performed the best when filler loadings were 5 wt.% and 10 wt.%, respectively, for both filler types. The tensile and flexural modulus both increased with filler loadings. The impact strength for the composites was obtained at a threshold level of 5 wt.% filler loadings for both filler types and slightly better for smaller particles sizes. ANOVA identified statistically significant differences for the mean mechanical property values evaluated. SEM showed the fractured surfaces of the PLA composites were different from the pure PLA indicating some transformation occurred to the matrix. The weight gains due to water absorption were observed to increase with increase in content of both filler types while the smaller particles had slightly higher water weight gains. Although the composites containing ILS fillers had somewhat enhanced mechanical properties over the WE-filled composites, the end application will dictate which filler type to use in PLA.

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Section: Impact Propertysupporting

confidence: 89%

Bio-Based White Eggshell as a Value-Added Filler in Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites

Cree

Soleimani

2023

J. Compos. Sci.

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“…The decrease in mechanical strength is related to the degradation of neat PLA present in each analyzed system and comparable for most systems; however, the lowest is for composites with synthetic wax in combination with the silanized filler, indicating the greatest stability of the systems, probably due to the combined effects of the presence of a well-dispersed filler as a UV blocker and hydrophobic wax stopping the composite from moisture diffusion. On the other hand, the mentioned systems provided the poorest mechanical properties as received, showing the limited compatibility of synthetic wax with the remaining components, especially the PLA matrix, as proven by the previous study [ 29 ]. Moreover, the polymer degradation occurs mostly in the near-surface region, which is further explained in the following sections (see Section 3.2 and Section 3.4 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Influence of Environmental Factors on the Degradation of PLA/Diatomaceous Earth Composites

Dobrosielska,

Dobrucka,

Brząkalski

et al. 2024

Polymers

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In the present study, tests were carried out on composite samples on a polylactide matrix containing 25% by weight of mineral filler in the form of diatomaceous earth, base, and silanized with GPTMOS (3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane), OTES (n-octyltriethoxysilane), and MTMOS (methyltrimethoxysilane) silanes. The addition of two types of waxes, synthetic polyamide wax and natural beeswax, were used as a factor to increase the rheological properties of the composites. The obtained samples were characterized in terms of the effect of filler silanization on the degradation rate of the composites. The tests were conducted under different conditioning conditions, i.e., after exposure to strong UV radiation for 250 and 500 h, and under natural sunlight for 21 days. The conditioning carried out under natural conditions showed that the modified samples exhibit up to twice the degradation rate of pure polylactide. The addition of synthetic wax to the composites increases the tendency to agglomerate diatomaceous earth, while natural wax has a positive effect on filler dispersion. For composites modified with GPTMOS and OTES silanes, it was noted that the addition of natural wax inhibited the degree of surface degradation, compared to the addition of synthetic wax, while the addition of MTMOS silane caused the opposite effect and samples with natural wax degraded more strongly. It was shown that, despite the high degree of surface degradation, the process does not occur significantly deep into the composite and stops at a certain depth.

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“…The advantage of using beeswax and fir resin as the matrix could be their improved compatibility with the filler, as they contain a wide range of compounds in their structure, including hydrocarbons with a chain length of C27-C33, free fatty acids with a chain length of C24-C32, and fatty acid esters in the case of beeswax [ 10 ] and terpenes and rosin acids in the case of fir resin [ 10 ], as well as other compounds. Also, among the advantages, the easy processing may be mentioned (due to their relatively lower melting/softening points compared to synthetic thermoplastics, for example).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal and Sound Insulation Properties of Organic Biocomposite Mixtures

Pop,

Croitoru,

Matei

et al. 2024

Polymers

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Sustainable building materials with excellent thermal stability and sound insulation are crucial for eco-friendly construction. This study investigates biocomposites made from cellulose pulp reinforced with beeswax, fir resin, and natural fillers like horsetail, rice flour, and fir needles. Eight formulations were obtained, and their thermal resistance, oxidation temperature, and acoustic properties were evaluated. Biocomposites exhibited significant improvements compared to conventional materials. Oxidation temperature onset increased by 60–70 °C compared to polyurethane foam or recycled textiles, reaching 280–290 °C. Sound absorption coefficients ranged from 0.15 to 0.78, with some formulations exceeding 0.5 across mid-frequencies, indicating good sound-dampening potential. These findings demonstrate the promise of these biocomposites for sustainable construction, offering a balance of thermal and acoustic performance alongside environmental and health benefits.

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Beeswax as a natural alternative to synthetic waxes for fabrication of PLA/diatomaceous earth composites

Cited by 12 publications

References 40 publications

Bio-Based White Eggshell as a Value-Added Filler in Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites

Bio-Based White Eggshell as a Value-Added Filler in Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites

The Influence of Environmental Factors on the Degradation of PLA/Diatomaceous Earth Composites

Thermal and Sound Insulation Properties of Organic Biocomposite Mixtures

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