Effect of eggshell and intumescent flame retardant on the thermal and mechanical properties of plasticised PLA

The effects of Eggshell (ES) on the properties of plasticised PLA and an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) containing plasticised PLA have been investigated. APP and PERwere added into the matrix as an IFR. The characterisation of samples was performed by DSC, TGA, tensile test, LOI, UL-94 and SEM. While APP loading was decreased, the ES was increased in the IFR to obtain a low-price flame retardant. As the ES loading in the composites was increased, the Young's modulus, the thermal resistance and char residue of the composites increased. It was observed that the ES provides a plasticising effect for the PLAPEGIFR sample. The highest LOI value was determined as 34.4 for 10 wt-% ES including the composites. The ES, including the IFR system for plasticised PLA, showed a V0 rating in the UL-94 test. Therefore, it can be concluded that ES can be used as a low-cost filling material in the IFR system for PLA.