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Review
. 2022 Mar 12:2022:8401528.
doi: 10.1155/2022/8401528. eCollection 2022.

Mycelium-Based Composite: The Future Sustainable Biomaterial

Digafe Alemu  1   2 , Mesfin Tafesse  1   2 , Ajoy Kanti Mondal  3
Affiliations
Review

Mycelium-Based Composite: The Future Sustainable Biomaterial

Digafe Alemu et al. Int J Biomater. .

Abstract

Because of the alarming rate of human population growth, technological improvement should be needed to save the environment from pollution. The practice of business as usual on material production is not creating a circular economy. The circular economy refers to an economic model whose objective is to produce goods and services sustainably, by limiting the consumption and waste of resources (raw materials, water, and energy). Fungal-based composites are the recently implemented technology that fulfills the concept of the circular economy. It is made with the complex of fungi mycelium and organic substrates by using fungal mycelium as natural adhesive materials. The quality of the composite depends on both types of fungi and substrate. To ensure the physicochemical property of the fabricated composite, mycelium morphology, bimolecular content, density, compressive strength, thermal stability, and hydrophobicity were determined. This composite is proven to be used for different applications such as packaging, architectural designs, walls, and insulation. It also has unique features in terms of low cost, low emission, and recyclable.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Different mycelium-based materials [8, 13, 24, 30, 33, 58, 62]. Leather-like materials, with companies in Indonesia, Italy, and the United States having already released promotional material and prototypes in fundraising campaigns, and they are twice cheaper than convectional materials (a). Lightweight mycelium-based composites, despite their load-bearing capability and durability, led the designers to explore designing various furniture by cultivating mycelium, such as chairs (b). Mycelium-based packaging as an environment-friendly alternative to plastic-based foam packaging (c). Light and low-density kitchenware and pots as biodegradable and recyclable alternatives to single-use plastics (d). Blocks made of mycelium substrate complex, partition wall, and indoor construction (e). Fungus used for self-healing of cracks through calcite production (f). Mycelium-based light fixture to enhance lamp light reflection (g). Coffee table with mycelium-based tabletop (h). Flexible mycelium-based polymer-like material (foam) (i).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart showing production of mycelium-based composite (adopted from [28]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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