Adding Mandarin Peel Waste to a Biodegradable Polymeric Matrix: Reinforcement or Degradation Effect?

In the current context, the use of fillers derived from fruit and vegetable waste is a crucial approach to mitigate waste and promote sustainable resource use, thus contributing to product life cycle completion and the achievement of sustainability goals. This study focuses on incorporating an endemic waste hitherto considered irrelevant within a biodegradable matrix. The resulting biocomposites were carefully characterized mechanically, rheologically, and morphologically to identify the connections between processability, structure, and properties. The results show that the presence of the filler results in an increase in the stiffness of the material (up to 27% in elastic modulus) accompanied by a decrease in tensile strength (approximately 50%) and elongation at break, which is on average about 7% at the highest filler content. This behavior was attributed to poor interfacial adhesion and the influence of a degradation process caused by the presence of citric acid and/or impurities in the filler.