Development and characterization of pla biofilament combined with perifiton biomass for 3d printing

Abstract

3D printing has conquered markets on an exponential scale. Allied to this, the global demand for environmentally sustainable materials drives research in the search for a substitute for petroleum-based thermoplastics. PLA is among the main raw materials for use in 3D printing filaments and has the advantage of being a bio-based and biodegradable biopolymer. This study aimed to develop a biofilament from a mixture of periphytic biomass and PLA and to evaluate its biodegradability potential when compared to commercial filaments. The biofilament was produced with 95% PLA and 5% periphytic biomass. Scanning Electron Microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy were applied to analyze the morphological structure of the biofilament. The biofilament presented mechanical performance similar to pure PLA, becoming slightly more rigid and brittle. In the biodegradability test, the sample produced with the biofilament showed a greater mass loss, with 63.75%, when compared to the PLA samples, indicating that the presence of microalgae contributed to the degradation of the material.