Pomace from Oil Plants as a New Type of Raw Material for the Production of Environmentally Friendly Biocomposites

The production of environmentally friendly biocomposites can be based on attractive and low-cost vegetable pomace, a waste product from oil production. In the present study, biocomposites made from HDPE and pomace from black cumin, corn, and flax seeds were subjected to evaluation of structural, morphological, and thermal parameters and susceptibility to germination by filamentous fungi. Based on the characteristics of the produced biocomposites, it should be concluded that vegetable waste from oil production, applied at a 1:1 ratio as a filler for polyethylene-based biocomposites, significantly reduces the crystallinity of the produced material and decreases its thermal stability. It should also be noted that such biocomposites are more easily overgrown by fungi, which may facilitate their biodegradation. Very poor antioxidant properties, resulting from the encapsulation of the plant fraction in polyethylene, limit the functionality of this type of material as, for example, active biomaterials to prevent free radical processes. Although the structural and physical characteristics of the produced biocomposites have been shown to be inferior to polyethylene, efforts should be made to improve these characteristics. Plant waste can be a valuable raw material for the production of materials compatible with various industries.