Physico-tribo-mechanical Performance of Banana Peel Powder Reinforced PLA-based 3D printed Biocomposites

The increasing demand for conventional polymeric composites has drawn global concern towards environmental pollution, disposal and the high cost of traditional composites and has motivated the adoption of the circular economy. Biofillers are recognized as a valuable material for the development of sustainable biocomposites. The work has studied the tribological behavior of neat and banana peel powder-reinforced polylactic acid-based biocomposites developed by employing the 3D printing technique. Two body dry sliding wear tests were performed under 05 (five) different loads and sliding speed conditions. Investigations of the specific wear rate, surface roughness, and coefficient of friction were performed, as well as morphological analyses of the worn-out surface. The tribological performance of the biocomposites has shown their dependency on the test conditions and fraction of reinforcements. The composite reinforced with 15 wt. % of banana peel power has obtained a minimum specific wear rate of 0.00028, 0.00038, and 0.00057 (mm³/N-m) under loads of 10, 15, and 20 (N), respectively, whereas the reinforcement of 20 wt. % of banana peel power has resulted in a minimum specific wear rate of 0.00080 and 0.00086 (mm³/N-m) at 25 N and 30 N. A similar observation for the sliding speeds has observed that reinforcement of 20 wt. % of banana peel powder has resulted in a minimum specific wear rate of 0.000239, 0.000382, 0.00040, 0.00063, and 0.001577 (mm³/N-m) at the given sliding speeds of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 (m/s), respectively. The coefficient of friction was observed in the ranges of 0.045–0.31 and 0.005–0.25 under the considered conditions of loads and sliding speeds, respectively. The work has demonstrated the potential of biocomposites for tribological applications and is pivotal from the techno-eco and environmental points of view.