Bacterial Cellulose and Mycelium Hybrid Composites

Background: While mycelium is considered a promising alternative for fossil-based resins in lignocellulosic materi- als, the mechanical properties of mycelium composite materials remain suboptimal, among other reasons due to the weak internal bonds between the hyphae and the natural fibres. A solution could be provided by the hybridisation of mycelium materials with organic additives. More specifically, bacterial cellulose seems to be a promising additive that could result in reinforcing mycelium composites; however, this strategy is underreported in scientific literature.

Results: In this study, we set out to investigate the mechanical properties of mycelium composites, produced
with the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, and supplemented with bacterial cellulose as an organic additive. A methodological framework is developed for the facile production of bacterial cellulose and subsequent fabrication of mycelium composite particle boards based on a hybrid substrate consisting of bacterial cellulose and hemp in combination with a heat-pressing approach. We found that, upon adding bacterial cellulose, the internal bond of the composite particle boards significantly improved.

Conclusions: The addition of bacterial cellulose to mycelium composite materials not only results in a strengthening of internal bonding of mycelium material, but also renders tuneable mechanical properties to the material. As such, this study contributes to the ongoing development of fully biological hybrid materials with performant mechanical characteristics.

Acknowledgements

This research was made possible thanks to the funding of the SB Fellowship of the Research Foundation Flanders [grant number 1S36417N (E.E.)].

Citation

Elise Elsacker, Simon Vandelook, Bastien Damsin, Aurélie Van Wylick, Eveline Peeters, and Lars De Laet. "Mechanical Characteristics of Bacterial Cellulose-reinforced Mycelium Composite Materials." Fungal Biology and Biotechnology.8.1 (2021): Fungal Biology and Biotechnology. , 2021, Vol.8(1).