3D Printing of Green and Renewable Polymeric Materials: Toward Greener Additive Manufacturing

There is an ever-growing push toward sustainability and green manufacturing in a wide array of industries, especially 3D printing, which is now recognized as a viable manufacturing method. The number of studies focusing on leveraging additive manufacturing of natural products continues to grow, with key areas of interest including exciting chemistries or modifications of natural products toward 3D printable materials, advancements in prototypes or products by changing feedstocks to green or bioderived alternatives, and the introduction of added functionalities or properties. This includes concepts such as processing natural or bioderived polymers into filament for extrusion-based 3D printing, the design of photopolymer resins and inks for vat photopolymerizations, jet printing, or direct ink writing processes, and the use of powders for selective laser sintering. The strategies employed to achieve materials suitable for 3D printing, the physical properties of the materials, and the resultant applications including strengths and limitations, will be explored in this review. Overall, the advancements in the field are leading to future opportunities in biomaterials and medical devices, electronics and batteries, and environmental remediation and water purification.