Sustainable and eco-friendly 3D printing filament fabricated from different recycled solid wastes and evaluate its impact on interior and furniture design

Abstract

A designer's work is based on creativity, innovation, and fresh ideas therefore, they are constantly searching for creative designs, especially when it comes to furniture and internal design. Meanwhile, innovative materials and ideas are actively sought after by designers for usage in furniture and interior design. In this scope, our study explores the practical implications of using date palm fronds and plastic waste from drinking water bottle to create a composite with varying loadings of date palm frond nanoparticles (DPFNP) at 10, 20, and 30 wt % and its applications on furniture design. A desktop extruder was used to form the composites into filaments, which were subsequently used to create 3D-printed specimens. The impact of adding (DPFNP) on the composite's mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties was assessed. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) drinking water bottle waste, and filament composites presented similar FTIR spectra; however, filament composites presented increased thermal stability and mechanical strength. The filament with 10 wt% DPFNP has been effectively printed with a 3D printer, demonstrating the practicality of employing the developed filaments and perhaps encouraging new uses in furniture and interior design. As a result, employing DPFNP in the recycled PET (RPET) matrix offers a cheap substitute for making filaments. It could increase the use of 3D printing in furniture and interior design by using more environmentally friendly materials. This result will be considered the first phase of future research investigation on a full-scale furniture prototype, examining its physical, thermal, and mechanical properties.

Keywords

• 3D printing
• Filament composite
• Dates palm fronds waste
• Recycling
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste
• Furniture and interior design