Research Keyword: Composites

Fungi as source for new bio-based materials: a patent review

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Researchers reviewed patents from 2009-2018 on using fungal mycelium to create eco-friendly materials. Instead of petroleum-based plastics, scientists grow fungi on agricultural waste like corn stalks and wood chips, where fungal threads bind the materials together into strong, biodegradable products. These fungal materials are being developed for packaging, car interiors, textiles, and insulation, offering sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics.

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Novel Alginate-, Cellulose- and Starch-Based Membrane Materials for the Separation of Synthetic Dyes and Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions and Suspensions—A Review

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This review examines new types of environmentally-friendly membranes made from natural plant materials like alginate and cellulose that can effectively remove harmful dyes and heavy metals from polluted water. These sustainable membranes can reject over 95% of contaminants while producing minimal waste, offering a greener alternative to traditional synthetic membrane technology. The materials are biodegradable and can be reused multiple times, making them economically and environmentally advantageous for water treatment applications.

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Effect of AgNPs on PLA-Based Biocomposites with Polysaccharides: Biodegradability, Antibacterial Activity and Features

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Scientists created new plastic-like materials made from corn-based PLA combined with silver nanoparticles and natural starches or chitosan. These biocomposites break down in soil while also killing harmful bacteria. The materials showed that adding silver particles didn’t prevent fungi from breaking them down in nature, making them suitable for environmentally-friendly products like food packaging that need to both degrade naturally and prevent bacterial growth.

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Anisotropic Growth of Filamentous Fungi in Wood Hydrogel Composites Increases Mechanical Properties

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Researchers developed new composite materials by growing fungi on specially treated wood. The fungi naturally grow along the wood’s fiber direction, creating stronger, more organized structures than they would in regular gelatin. By adjusting the wood type and nutrient levels, scientists could precisely control the mechanical strength of these eco-friendly materials, which could eventually be used in building products and packaging.

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You Are What You Eat: How Fungal Adaptation Can Be Leveraged toward Myco-Material Properties

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Fungi can be grown to create eco-friendly materials that could replace plastics and petroleum-based products. By controlling what fungi eat and where they grow, scientists can engineer the properties of these materials to be stronger, more flexible, or water-resistant. This approach leverages the natural ability of fungi to break down organic matter and adapt to their environment. Companies like IKEA and Dell are already using these fungal materials in product packaging.

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