Mycelium-bound biocomposites as potential sustainable particleboards

Mycelium, as the root of fungi, is composed of filamentous strands of fine threads (hyphae) that bind discrete substrate particles into a block-like material. With advanced processing, dense mycelium-bound composites (DMCs) resembling commercial particleboards can be formed for potential use in the construction and furniture industries.

In their paper 'external page Mechanical properties of dense mycelium-bound composites under accelerated tropical weathering conditions', the research team including Dr Nazanin Saeidi, Dr Alireza Javadian, and Prof. Dirk E. Hebel from Urban Biocycle project at FCL global, and Xin Ying Chan and Prof. Manoj Gupta from NUS, investigated the possibility of using DMCs as a green alternative to particleboards. The research was carried out during phase 2 of the FCL programme.

A detailed investigation was carried out on the mechanical properties and performance of DMCs under the working conditions of particleboards. The DMC was made using Ganoderma lucidum mycelium grown on a substrate of sawdust and empty fruit bunch collected from the waste byproducts of sawmills and palm oil factories. The DMC was then subjected to weathering under tropical conditions over 35 days and tested under flexural, tensile, and compressive loading with reference to international standards.

The results over the weathering period reveal that tropical weathering reduces the strength and rigidity of the material. However, by applying a commonly used natural oil-based coating, the DMC was able to withstand degradation under tropical weathering conditions. Furthermore, it was shown that some improvements to the DMC material’s surface consistency could effectively increase the material strength and resistance to weathering with the help of a protective coating. Therefore, DMC could be viewed as an environmentally friendly substitute for particleboards if such improvements in material production are made.