Ecological Composite Materials Based on Polylactide (PLA) and Organic Fillers: Coffee Grounds and Hen Eggshells...

In this article, an ecological composite based on a neat polylactide with 50 and 75% degrees of coffee particles and eggshells as an infill and organic filler, was developed. It has been shown that the content of fillers used reduced the mechanical properties, increasing the possibility of environmental degradation and accelerating the biodegradation process. During the additive production of polylactide with 10% of coffee grounds as a filler, it was possible to reduce the additive manufacturing temperature, which reduced the process time, energy costs, carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of polymer that may affect the environment. The structure of polylactide enriched with hen eggshells is characterized by roan and irregular shapes, which can cause a high tendency to form a concentration of cracks in these areas. Based on the results obtained from the stress relaxation test, the Zener model was used to describe a creep model of the produced ecological composites. The polymer composition of coffee grounds and eggshells shows a tendency to creep faster than pure polylactide and with different degrees of infill. Voids reduce the strength of composite materials, which increases the creep potential of samples with incomplete degrees of infill.