Those of us who have 3D printers tend to create a large number of figures and plastic scraps that, unfortunately, are not biodegradable. It is true that most of what is no longer useful ends up in the right container, and can be recycled, but ideally it would be much more environmentally friendly.
This is what a Czech company called Fillamentum, responsible for the first biodegradable filament, is working on. Its name is NonOilen, and it contains biobased polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate.
The PHB content improves toughness, temperature resistance and especially biodegradability. It fits perfectly into the principles of circular economy, it can be reused many times, therefore waste can be reduced, and once the service life is over, it can be recycled.
It is the first time that a biodegradable plastic for 3D printers reaches the market, but it is also suitable for food containers, as well as for printing cutlery or plates, since it is made from natural sources. On their website they present it like this:
After a long-term association with the research team of Professor Pavol Alexy, PhD. from the Slovak Technical University, we are proud to present a completely new material that is like a dream in the world of plastic: a fully biodegradable filament for 3D printing.
The material is potentially compostable in biologically active systems and will break down faster than normal PLA plastic. Of course, it can also be fully recycled to make plastic multiple times.
The coil is sold for 40 euros on their website, but before reaching for the credit card, it is important to keep in mind that it is still plastic, that it is not something that we can put under the ground and wait for it to transform compost, although it is much more environmentally responsible than traditional plastics. Decomposition is approximately 3 times faster than PLA
