Development of Sustainable Packaging Cushions from Coconut Waste Using 3D Printing Techniques

Coconut fiber and coconut coir dust can be used to create environmentally friendly packaging. Additionally, recycled corrugated paper can be combined with tapioca starch to bind coconut coir dust and paper. Using these techniques, our objective was to develop a novel process for producing different items with coconut pulp paper and 3D-printed molds. The results indicated that the optimal weight ratios of paper, coconut fiber, and coconut coir dust for a bottle, corner cushion and wrapping cushions were 60:20:20, 60:20:20, and 80:20:0, respectively. The 3D-printed molds were designed with rounded chamfers to facilitate easy extraction of the molded paper. Both the bottle and corner cushions exhibited a tensile strength of 0.53 MPa with 12% NaOH treatment. The wrapping cushion demonstrated the highest flexural strength, at 10.33 MPa with 12% NaOH. Overall, NaOH treatment improved the mechanical properties of the coconut fiber compared to untreated fiber. For compression, the bottle and corner cushions achieved values of 3,196.38 N and 1,550.68 N, respectively. Furthermore, both the bottle and wrapping cushions passed the drop test from a height of 150 centimeters. In Thailand, the coconut industry reports revenues of approximately 4.66 billion THB in 2023 and produces 337 million metric tons of waste. This research demonstrates the great potential of coconut by-products, and the utilization of waste valued at 647 million THB. Future studies could explore innovative mold designs to enable the production of more complex packaging and decorative items, further enhancing the economic and environmental benefits of coconut waste utilization.