Mapping of the scientific production on the usage of biocomposites in 3D printing processes

Abstract

Solutions in support of sustainability have been present in the most diverse research fields. It is also notorious the negative impact that the solid residues cause to the environment, which stimulates the use of raw materials originated from natural sources, where the biocomposites appear as an interesting alternative. New technologies and means to use them arouse the ingenuity for more in-depth studies, being the additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, an easily accessible reality. This study aims at mapping the available scientific publications about the use of biocomposites in 3D printing processes in the database Scopus. Bibliometric techniques were used to identify the evolution of the themes in the research field, the current topics and the specialist authors; to create a map of the field of study and to find the references, journals and keywords for future researches. In order to carry out this scientific mapping, the software SciMAT was used, with basis on a method guided through four phases: (i) detection of research themes; (ii) visualization of themes and thematic networks; (iii) identification of the thematic areas; and (iv) performance analysis. Only 14 publications related to the topic were found in the analyzed period. It was identified that the cluster 'TISSUE-ENGINEERING' is the only one that maintains itself active in all the analyzed sub-periods. The cluster 'FUSED-DEPOSITION-MODELING', in turn, is the most representative due to the quantity of documents associated to the theme. Based on the results obtained, it was observed that the use of biocomposites in 3D printing processes is promising and under-researched, being an opportunity for the revaluation of the solid residues through the use of technology, applying or/and developing techniques for the reduction of the environmental impact.