Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations
Mycelium-Based Composites (MBCs) are innovative engineering materials made from lignocellulosic by-products bonded with fungal mycelium. While some performance characteristics of MBCs are inferior to those of currently used engineering materials, these composites nevertheless prove to be superior in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/18/6283 |
| _version_ | 1797485413581979648 |
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| author | Maciej Sydor Grzegorz Cofta Beata Doczekalska Agata Bonenberg |
| author_facet | Maciej Sydor Grzegorz Cofta Beata Doczekalska Agata Bonenberg |
| author_sort | Maciej Sydor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mycelium-Based Composites (MBCs) are innovative engineering materials made from lignocellulosic by-products bonded with fungal mycelium. While some performance characteristics of MBCs are inferior to those of currently used engineering materials, these composites nevertheless prove to be superior in ecological aspects. Improving the properties of MBCs may be achieved using an adequate substrate type, fungus species, and manufacturing technology. This article presents scientifically verified guiding principles for choosing a fungus species to obtain the desired effect. This aim was realized based on analyses of scientific articles concerning MBCs, mycological literature, and patent documents. Based on these analyses, over 70 fungi species used to manufacture MBC have been identified and the most commonly used combinations of fungi species-substrate-manufacturing technology are presented. The main result of this review was to demonstrate the characteristics of the fungi considered optimal in terms of the resulting engineering material properties. Thus, a list of the 11 main fungus characteristics that increase the effectiveness in the engineering material formation include: rapid hyphae growth, high virulence, dimitic or trimitic hyphal system, white rot decay type, high versatility in nutrition, high tolerance to a substrate, environmental parameters, susceptibility to readily controlled factors, easy to deactivate, saprophytic, non-mycotoxic, and capability to biosynthesize natural active substances. An additional analysis result is a list of the names of fungus species, the types of substrates used, the applications of the material produced, and the main findings reported in the scientific literature. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:18:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-53788ab8acd44debb23e294486f5172b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:18:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-53788ab8acd44debb23e294486f5172b2023-11-23T17:30:53ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-09-011518628310.3390/ma15186283Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and RecommendationsMaciej Sydor0Grzegorz Cofta1Beata Doczekalska2Agata Bonenberg3Department of Woodworking and Fundamentals of Machine Design, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Chemical Wood Technology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Chemical Wood Technology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, PolandInstitute of Interior Design and Industrial Design, Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznań, PolandMycelium-Based Composites (MBCs) are innovative engineering materials made from lignocellulosic by-products bonded with fungal mycelium. While some performance characteristics of MBCs are inferior to those of currently used engineering materials, these composites nevertheless prove to be superior in ecological aspects. Improving the properties of MBCs may be achieved using an adequate substrate type, fungus species, and manufacturing technology. This article presents scientifically verified guiding principles for choosing a fungus species to obtain the desired effect. This aim was realized based on analyses of scientific articles concerning MBCs, mycological literature, and patent documents. Based on these analyses, over 70 fungi species used to manufacture MBC have been identified and the most commonly used combinations of fungi species-substrate-manufacturing technology are presented. The main result of this review was to demonstrate the characteristics of the fungi considered optimal in terms of the resulting engineering material properties. Thus, a list of the 11 main fungus characteristics that increase the effectiveness in the engineering material formation include: rapid hyphae growth, high virulence, dimitic or trimitic hyphal system, white rot decay type, high versatility in nutrition, high tolerance to a substrate, environmental parameters, susceptibility to readily controlled factors, easy to deactivate, saprophytic, non-mycotoxic, and capability to biosynthesize natural active substances. An additional analysis result is a list of the names of fungus species, the types of substrates used, the applications of the material produced, and the main findings reported in the scientific literature.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/18/6283myceliumfungibiomaterialbio-compositebio designmycelium-based material |
| spellingShingle | Maciej Sydor Grzegorz Cofta Beata Doczekalska Agata Bonenberg Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations Materials mycelium fungi biomaterial bio-composite bio design mycelium-based material |
| title | Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations |
| title_full | Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations |
| title_fullStr | Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations |
| title_short | Fungi in Mycelium-Based Composites: Usage and Recommendations |
| title_sort | fungi in mycelium based composites usage and recommendations |
| topic | mycelium fungi biomaterial bio-composite bio design mycelium-based material |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/18/6283 |
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