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In order to find new ways to ensure sustainable development on a global level, it is essential to combine current top technologies, such as additive manufacturing, with the economic, ecological, and social fields. One objective of this paper refers to wire manufacture such as Arboblend V2 Nature, Arbofill Fichte, and Arboblend V2 Nature reinforced with Extrudr BDP “Pearl” (BDP—Biodegradable Plastic) in order to replace the plastic materials. After wire manufacture by extrusion, the diameter accuracy was analyzed compared with the Fiber Wood wire using SEM analyses and also EDAX—Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis and DSC—Differential Scanning Calorimetry analyses were done in order to identify their elemental composition and the phase transitions suffered by the materials during heating. Using the samples obtained through the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method, both crystalline phases and chemical composition information (XRD analysis) were identified, as well was determined the visco-elastic behavior Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), for the reinforced material and Fiber Wood. The extruded wires have allowed size for the printing equipment, around 1.75 mm with tolerance of ± 0.05 mm. The wire material diagrams, Arboblend V2 Nature reinforced with Extrudr BDP “Pearl” and Fiber Wood following the calorimetric analysis, presented peaks corresponding to material crystallization, while Arbofill Fichte revealed only the melting temperature. The storage module was almost double in case of Arboblend V2 Nature reinforced with Extrudr BDP “Pearl” compared with Fiber Wood and materials’ melting temperatures were confirmed by the analyses carried out.

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Due to the pressing problems of today’s world, regarding both the finding of new, environmentally friendly materials which have the potential to replace classic ones, and the need to limit the accelerated spread of bacteria in hospitals, offices and other types of spaces, many researchers have chosen to develop their work in this field. Thus, biopolymeric materials have evolved so much that they are gradually becoming able to remove fossil-based plastics from major industries, which are harmful to the environment and implicitly to human health. The biopolymer employed in the present study, Arboblend V2 Nature with silver nanoparticle content (AgNP) meets both aspects mentioned above. The main purpose of the paper is to replace several parts and products in operation which exhibit antibacterial action, preventing the colonization and proliferation of bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, by using the submerged cultivation method), but also the possibility of degradation in different environments. The biopolymer characterization followed the thermal behavior of the samples, their structure and morphology through specific analyses, such as TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). The obtained results offer the possibility of use of said biocomposite material in the medical field because of its antibacterial characteristics that have proved to be positive, and, therefore, suitable for such applications. The thermal degradation and the structure of the material highlighted the possibility of employing it in good conditions at temperatures up to 200 °C. Two types of samples were used for thermal analysis: first, in the form of granules coated with silver nanoparticles, and second, test specimen cut from the sample obtained by injection molding from the coated granules with silver nanoparticles.

During the last decades, there has been an increased interest in the use of lignin-based composites following the ideas of developing green materials for fossil-based raw materials substitution. The biopolymer Arboform is a mixture of lignin, plant fibers, and additives, which is nowadays successfully used in many applications. As a thermoplastic, it can be molded and is therefore also called “liquid wood.” In this paper, we report a study comparing the nanomechanical and tribological properties of Arboform (AR), and Aramid-reinforced Arboform (AR-AF) composite biopolymers. The samples were produced in an industrial-scale injection molding machine. Nanoindentation experiments have revealed that, in both series of biopolymer samples, an increase in temperature or a change in the injection direction from 0 deg to 90 deg produces an increase in hardness. On the other hand, Young's modulus is slightly affected by the increase in temperature, and not affected by the injection angle. Tribological characterization has shown that all samples, except the AR-AF injected at 175 °C, present noticeable wear and have a similar friction coefficients μ ∼ 0.44–0.49 at Hertzian contact pressures p0 between 90 and 130 MPa. Interestingly, the reinforced polymer produced at 175 °C shows no wear and low friction of μ ∼ 0.19 at p0 = 90 MPa. Our results show that the reinforced Arboform biopolymers are a good candidate to replace other polymers in many mechanical and tribological applications.