Agro waste derived fillers for vat photopolymerization of polymer composites

The agricultural industry generates significant waste each year, which, if improperly disposed of or burned, may harm the environment. It is essential to sustainably harness this waste to transform it into useful products and reduce environmental damage. There has been growing interest in eco-friendly materials to reduce the environmental impacts of traditional materials. In efforts to develop green alternatives, agro waste derived fillers (AWF) have been explored for their use in sustainable composites. Due to increased attention to sustainable and green composites, this review analyzes recent developments, limitations and challenges in incorporating AWFs into vat photopolymerization (VPP). AWFs have been widely studied for use in thermoplastic composites; however, only a few have been investigated for photocurable resins. Although adding AWF fillers can improve material performance, challenges such as optical attenuation, increased viscosity, sedimentation and weak interfacial bonding limit their broader applications. The review concludes with recommendations for future research to develop more advanced bio-based resins, employ methods to enhance particle dispersion and interfacial bonding, standardize testing procedures and conduct extensive environmental analyses. AWF composites offer promising opportunities to increase the use of sustainable materials and facilitate environmentally friendly production processes. • Agro-waste-derived fillers (AWFs) are explored as sustainable reinforcements in vat photopolymerization (VPP). • Review of VPP processes using AWFs such as rice husk, straw, cork, and eggshells. • AWFs improve thermomechanical properties but face challenges of curing depth, viscosity, and dispersion. • Surface treatments, resin modifications, and advanced photoinitiators enhance printability and performance. • Limited literature highlights a research gap for sustainable AWF composites in VPP.