In an international first, teaching and research staff at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) have used olive prunings – an agricultural byproduct found in abundance in Crete – to create a new raw material in the field of 3D printing.
The experiment is reported in a research paper entitled “Biochar filler in MEX and VPP additive manufacturing: characterization and reinforcement effects in polylactic acid and standard grade resin matrices”, published in the Springer journal Biochar. The authors are Professor Nektarios Vidakis, Assistant Professors Dimitrios Kalderis, Markos Petousis and Emmanuel Maravelakis, doctoral students Nikolaos Mountakis and Nikolaos Bolanakis, all of HMU, and Assistant Professor Vassilis Papadakis of the FORTH research institute.
The University team basically mixed carbon produced by the heat treatment of olive prunings (“biochar”) with other polymer materials which are used in 3D printing to create a novel compound. It was the first time globally that olive biomass has been used in such a context.
The special characteristics of the new compound are that the addition of olive biochar reinforces the thermo-mechanical resistance and the stability of the polymers most commonly used in 3D printing. The results of the research could be commercially exploited and lead to the production of environmentally friendly composite materials which contribute to sustainability and the circular economy.
The use of 3D printing in manufacturing is continually gaining ground internationally, and is expected to constitute a “new industrial revolution” in the coming years. It will bring about decentralisation of production processes, opening the way to small-scale and local manufacturing adjusted to immediate needs.
(Haniotika Nea/HMU press release)
What is biochar?
Biochar is the lightweight black residue, made of carbon and ashes, remaining after the pyrolysis of biomass, and is a form of charcoal. Biochar is defined by the International Biochar Initiative as “the solid material obtained from the thermochemical conversion of biomass in an oxygen-limited environment”. Biochar is a stable solid that is rich in pyrogenic carbon and can endure in soil for thousands of years. (Wikipedia)
The addition of biochar is known to improve soil quality and it has been used by traditional societies and farmers in developing countries as a means of increasing agricultural production. Its stability has led to its being regarded by proponents of green farming methods as a means of sequestering carbon in the soil. It is also being used as a supplement for animal feeds and an additive for concrete.