Effect of functional mineral additive on processability and material properties of wood-fiber reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites

This study examines the use of alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA)-surface treated calcium carbonate as a functional mineral additive for application in wood fiber (WF)-reinforced PLA composites. The influence of addition quantity on the material properties of PLA composites with 40 wt% fiber reinforcement was examined at mineral addition levels of 10 wt%, 20 wt% and 30 wt%, respectively. The benefits of ASA surface-treated calcium carbonate over untreated mineral were exemplified by comparing the thermomechanical properties of PLA composites at an addition level of 10 wt%. The results demonstrate that the addition of ASA-treated calcium carbonate has distinctive advantages over untreated mineral, in terms of both processability and material properties. First, it enables better control of the process by reducing the flowability of the PLA matrix. Furthermore, it improves the fiber adhesion with the PLA, allowing for a substantial reduction of PLA content in the composite formulation while maintaining material properties.