Agriculturally derived biowastes can be transformed into a diverse range of materials, including powders, fibers, and filaments, which can be used in additive manufacturing methods. This review study reports a study that analyzes the existing literature on the development of novel materials from agriculturally derived biowastes for additive manufacturing methods. A review was conducted of 57 selected publications since 2016 covering various agriculturally derived biowastes, different additive manufacturing methods, and potential large-scale applications of additive manufacturing using these materials. Wood, fish, and algal cultivation wastes were also included in the broader category of agriculturally derived biowastes. Further research and development are required to optimize the use of agriculturally derived biowastes for additive manufacturing, particularly with regard to material innovation, improving print quality and mechanical properties, as well as exploring large-scale industrial applications.

Biomass–fungi composites, an emerging class of sustainable materials, have potential applications in the construction and packaging industries. Molding-based manufacturing methods are typically employed to make products from these composites. Recently, a 3D printing-based method was developed for biomass–fungi composites to eliminate the need for making molds and to facilitate customized product design compared with manufacturing methods based on molding and hot-pressing. This method has six stages: biomass–fungi material preparation; primary colonization; mixture preparation; printing; secondary colonization; and drying. This paper reports a study about the effects of waiting time between the mixture preparation and 3D printing using biomass–fungi composites. As the waiting time increased from 0.25 to 3 h, the hardness and compressibility of the prepared mixture increased. As the waiting time increased from 0.25 to 8 h, the shear viscosity showed a decreasing trend; the yield stress of the prepared mixture increased at the beginning, then significantly decreased until the waiting time reached 3 h, and then did not significantly vary after 3 h. As the waiting time increased, the storage modulus and loss modulus decreased, the loss tangent delta increased, and the minimum required printing pressure for continuous extrusion during extrusion-based 3D printing increased. The print quality (in terms of layer-height shrinkage and filament-width uniformity) was reasonably good when the waiting time did not exceed 4.5 h.

Polystyrene matrixes containing cellulose nanofibril (CNF) with fiber content of 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 wt% were successfully hydrophobized by silylation and extruded into single filaments using both single and dual heat extrusion processing. The fiber–matrix bonding was examined using a scanning electron microscope. With further characterization, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed a formation of Si-O-C bonds, indicating better fiber–matrix adhesion. Raman spectroscopy showed disruption of hydrogen bonding, which indicates interference of parallel nanocellulose fiber adhesion to neighboring fibrils. Thermogravimetric analysis suggests that the thermal stability of the functionalized CNF is higher than that of the corresponding neat sample, which is resultant of stable Si bond formation. Results from dynamic mechanical analysis showed an increasing ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elastic modulus, with peak values attributed to the dual heat processing with up 112 MPa and 10.8 GPa for the UTS and modulus, respectively. The increase is assumed to be as a result of the linear arrangement of the CNF in the Polystyrene (PS) matrix during the extrusion process. Micromechanics modeling calculations suggest the increase is moving towards the fiber properties. The results revealed the strong reinforcing ability of CNFs and their compatibility with the thermoplastic matrix if functionalized.