Design and Development of Cellulosic Bionanocomposites from Forestry Waste Residues for 3D Printing Applications

Abstract

This paper deals with the development of cellulose nanofibres (CNFs) reinforced biopolymers for use in packaging applications. Cellulose nanofibres were extracted from sawdust by a combination of chemical and mechanical treatments. The extracted cellulose nanofibres were chemically modified (fCNFs) and characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Bionanocomposites were prepared from biopolymers polylactic acid/polybutylene succinate (PLA/PBS) and cellulose nanofibres by compounding in a twin-screw extruder followed by injection moulding. The developed bionanocomposites were subjected to mechanical and thermal characterisation. As part of product development, CNF-biopolymer pellets were also extruded into filaments which were then 3D printed into prototypes. This work is a successful demonstration of conversion of waste residues into value-added products, which is aligned to the principles of circular economy and sustainable development.

A Review of Polymer-Based Materials for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF): Focus on Sustainability and Recycled Materials

“…Also, in the scientific literature there are manuscripts on the recycling of cellulose materials. For example, John et al (2021) have developed a biopolymer for 3D printing applications from forestry waste residues [ 115 ]. The developed biopolymer contains polylactic acid/polybutylene succinate (PLA/PBS) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) derived from recycled cellulose (sawdust) and after chemically modified.…”

“…The best performances were obtained by adding functionalized cellulose nanofibers to the PLA/PBS matrix, because the hydrophobicity and the crystallinity of the mixtures improve, due to the nucleating effect. Finally, the authors also report an example of 3D printing of food packaging boxes using PLA/CNFs filament [ 115 ].…”

Modification of Cellulose Micro- and Nanomaterials to Improve Properties of Aliphatic Polyesters/Cellulose Composites: A Review

“…In comparison with esterification this approach is less-used for cellulose modification. The modification of cellulose (nano)fibers with lauryl [ 148 ] and fatty-acid residues using this method have been recently reported [ 42 ]. The modification of cellulose fiber with lauryl moieties was testified by ATR-IR and XPS.…”

“…The improvement in tensile strength and Young’s modulus by 38 and 71%, respectively, for PLA filled with hydrophobized MFC due to its transesterification with vinyl-laurate groups (compression-molded composites) was also observed by Li et al [ 148 ]. At the same time, modification of CNF with fatty acids by transesterification and production of composites with PLA-PBS by combination of extrusion and molding showed no significant effect on the tensile strength and Young’s modulus when 1 and 3 wt% filler were used [ 42 ]. Moreover, the parameters obtained were very close to those obtained for unmodified cellulose.…”

“…Modification of the cellulose surface, in turn, affects the properties of the cellulose filler and allows the properties of aliphatic polyester/cellulose composites to be adjusted in a wide range. Recently, several review articles devoted to the composites based on poly(lactic acid) and cellulose [ 39 , 40 ] with special focusing on the processing techniques [ 41 , 42 ] and biofiber’s properties [ 43 ] have been published. Some reviews have partially discussed cellulose modification [ 39 , 44 ]; however, progress in this area has not been extensively overviewed.…”