Customizable and Waste-Free Pharmaceuticals: PLA-Carbon Pills from Biomass Pyrolysis via FDM 3D Printing

The pharmaceutical industry is called to adopt more sustainable manufacturing methods to meet current market needs since traditional drug production creates substantial waste while using much energy and failing to meet individualized treatment requirements. This study investigates circular and environmentally friendly methods to create customizable pharmaceutical forms under the framework of 3D-SustainDrugs project. The proposed method uses dual biomass valorization to produce a mixture filament of polylactic acid (PLA) from amylase-rich biomass and carbon from lignocellulosic pyrolysis biochar. The two bio-derived materials form a composite filament which enables Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing of pill platforms. The method enables drug incorporation following printing operations thus protecting the medication from heat exposure while producing customized pill forms for personalized dosing requirements. The combination of carbon with PLA in the filament provides structural benefits, adsorption properties and biodegradable characteristics. The circular economy principles receive support through this approach which connect waste-derived inputs to local free-waste manufacturing operations to achieve Industry 5.0 sustainability goals.