Characterization study on mechanical, flammability and wear behavior of 3D-printed PLA composites reinforced with surface treated citrus maxima fruit peel biocarbon

This research investigates the development of strengthened 3D-printed composite materials using flexible PLA reinforced with biomass-extracted, silane-treated biocarbon via fused deposition modeling (FDM). Composite filaments were fabricated and tested according to ASTM standards. Results show that a 1 vol.% biocarbon-reinforced PLA composite exhibited enhanced mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 32 MPa, flexural strength of 69 MPa, impact strength of 2.8 J, and Shore D hardness of 64. Notably, composite B (0.5 vol.% silane-treated biocarbon at 50% infill) demonstrated a 23%, 25%, and 28% improvement in tensile, flexural, and impact strengths, respectively, over neat PLA. The uniform dispersion achieved through silane treatment contributed to improved wear resistance and flame retardancy. While composite C (1 vol.% biocarbon) maintained high tensile and flexural properties, composite D (2 vol.%) showed a decline in strength but enhanced impact resistance, hardness, wear resistance, and flame retardancy. These findings suggest that PLA-biocarbon composites have strong potential for use in lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and high-performance components across manufacturing, domestic, sports, and renewable energy applications.