<![CDATA[The increasing demand for sustainable engineering materials has encouraged the development of polymer composites reinforced with bio-based fillers. Eggshell waste, which contains more than 90% biogenic calcium carbonate, represents an abundant and low-cost resource with potential as a reinforcing agent in thermoset composites. In this study, unsaturated polyester resin Bayesian Quantitative Trait Nucleotide (BQTN) 157 was reinforced with eggshell-derived calcium carbonate particles sized 105-149 µm, incorporated at volume fractions of 1-5%. Test specimens were produced using standardized moulds and evaluated for tensile properties in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D638 and for impact resistance using the Izod in ASTM D4812. The tensile results indicated a reduction in Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 6.7%, from 20.85 MPa for neat resin to 19.46 MPa at 5% filler, while the elastic modulus increased by 9.7%, from 1.44 GPa to 1.58 GPa. The impact resistance improved with filler addition, reaching a maximum of 91.75 J/m at a 3% filler concentration, representing a 15.7% increase, before slightly declining at higher concentrations. These findings demonstrate that eggshell-derived calcium carbonate is a promising sustainable bio-filler, with 3% volume identified as the optimum composition for practical composite applications.]]>
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