The Thermal and Mechanical Performance of Leather Waste-Filled Bio-Based Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites

The leather tanning industry generates a substantial quantity of solid waste, which, in part, is discarded in the environment in landfills or incinerated. One alternative end-of-life solution is to manufacture engineered materials by forming composites with a thermoplastic polymer/binder. In this work, leather fibres (LFs) were melt-compounded into partially bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), at leather fibre contents between 10 and 30% (TPU/LF), followed by compression moulding or 3D printing. The results showed that the incorporation of LF into the polymer matrix produced materials with a Young’s modulus comparable to that of leather. The melt extrusion processing influenced the polymer chain orientation and the resulting mechanical performance. The cyclic stress softening and abrasion resistance of the TPU/LF materials were evaluated to understand the potential of this material to be used in the footwear industry. The level of LF incorporation could be tailored to produce the specific targeted mechanical properties. This work demonstrates that LF could be used to produce materials with a high potential to be used in the fashion industry.