Effect of PBAT-g-MAH Compatibilization and Bamboo Flour Loadings on Melt Flow and Early Soil-Compost Mineralization of PLA Biocomposites for FFF 3D Printing.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how bamboo loadings (2.5-5 wt%) and compatibilization with PBAT-g-MAH (BP-1, 10 wt%) affect melt flow and early-time mineralization of PLA biocomposites under near-ambient soil-compost conditions (ASTM D5988), while using PBAT-g-GMA (BP-2) only as a melt-flow screening reference. METHODS: Melt flow index (MFI, ASTM D1238, 2.16 kg; 190/210/230 °C) was first measured for neat PLA and PLA/BP-1/BP-2 blends to select a printable matrix. PLA/10BP-1 composites containing 2.5-5 wt% bamboo were then compounded, extruded as bars for biodegradation tests, and validated by FFF printing. Biodegradation was quantified from titrimetric CO2 evolution in soil-compost reactors at 21 ± 2 °C and pH ≈ 7 (triplicate specimens plus triplicate blanks; mean ± SD and endpoint statistics). ATR-FTIR was used to support mechanistic interpretation. RESULTS: BP-1 markedly increased MFI relative to neat PLA, whereas BP-2 remained close to the neat matrix, consistent with epoxy-driven coupling that can raise viscosity. Under ambient burial, all materials exhibited very low mineralization over 0-23 days; PLA/10BP-1/2.5B and PLA/10BP-1/5B showed a slight increase in net CO2 evolution compared with neat PLA, but the differences remained modest and within the experimental uncertainty, reflecting a balance between bamboo's pro-hydrolytic effect and the sealing action of PBAT-g-MAH compatibilization. SIGNIFICANCE: The data delineate a printing-degradation window in which PLA/10BP-1 with 2.5-5 wt% bamboo combines easy processing and short-term durability while preserving industrial compostability at end-of-life.