Mycological approach for the preparation of environmentally friendly biomaterials

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals were set in 2015 by world leaders. For this project goal 12 was chosen, which focuses on sustainable consumption and production patterns, and has the aim of substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse by 2030. The properties of synthetic petroleum-based plastic such as stability, durability, have brought its utilization to an unsustainable peak and its demand is continuously increasing. Moreover, it is polluting every corner of the planet Earth. To this end, its use must be reduced to produce materials and consumer products. The fungal mycelium is a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polymeric plastics. It grows naturally as the colonial structure of the fungus and self-organizes as a network of tubular hyphal filaments which mould to any required shape. It is composed of chitin, glucans and an outer layer of proteins such as mannoproteins and hydrophobins. The mycelium has the potential to emerge as a material of choice for light-weight structures with several advantages such as low density, low production cost, minimal processing energy input and 100% biodegradability. Our project aims to test the mycelium of indigenous fungi to produce an alternative sustainable material which can be used as plastic substitute, to partially address the problem of Sustainable Development Goal 12.