Open AccessSearching for biological feedstock material: 3D printing of wood particles from house borer and drywood termite frass
Author(s) -
Rudy Plarre,
Andrea Zocca,
Andrea Spitzer,
Sigrid Benemann,
Anna A. Gorbushina,
Yuexuan Li,
Anja Waske,
Alexander Funk,
Janka Wilbig,
Jens Günster
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0246511
Subject(s) - frass , raw material , pulp and paper industry , 3d printed , environmental science , materials science , biology , botany , larva , engineering , ecology , biomedical engineering
Frass (fine powdery refuse or fragile perforated wood produced by the activity of boring insects) of larvae of the European house borer (EHB) and of drywood termites was tested as a natural and novel feedstock for 3D-printing of wood-based materials. Small particles produced by the drywood termite Incisitermes marginipennis and the EHB Hylotrupes bajulus during feeding in construction timber, were used. Frass is a powdery material of particularly consistent quality that is essentially biologically processed wood mixed with debris of wood and faeces. The filigree-like particles flow easily permitting the build-up of wood-based structures in a layer wise fashion using the Binder Jetting printing process. The quality of powders produced by different insect species was compared along with the processing steps and properties of the printed parts. Drywood termite frass with a Hausner Ratio HR = 1.1 with ρBulk = 0.67 g/cm 3 and ρTap = 0.74 g/cm 3 was perfectly suited to deposition of uniformly packed layers in 3D printing. We suggest that a variety of naturally available feedstocks could be used in environmentally responsible approaches to scientific material sciences/additive manufacturing.