Formaldehyde-free mycelium composites production from spent mushroom substrates for particleboard substitution: Physical, antimicrobial, and environmental assessments

Abstract

Formaldehyde pollution and material shortages are two prominent issues in particleboard production. This study aimed to assess the physical and antimicrobial properties of formaldehyde-free biocomposites produced with mycelium as the adhesive through hot pressing, utilizing spent mushroom substrates. The moduli of elasticity in biocomposites with 20 % chitin-containing substrate and 10 % chitin-containing substrate was determined to be 1383.60 ± 129.31 and 1284.01 ± 66.59 MP, respectively. Following continuous culture for 14 d under 25 °C and moist conditions, the biocomposites produced from chitin-containing spent mushroom substrate, exhibited lower relative abundances of Bacteroides vulgatus and Prevotella copri on the surface of the biocomposites than did 0 % chitin-containing substrate derived biocomposites, which recorded relative abundances of 9.24 % and 9.44 %, respectively. The raw material generation process significantly contributed to various environmental impacts, including land use (44.32 m2 crop eq) and blue water consumption (8.52 m3). The production of biocomposites from spent mushroom substrate is a favourable option for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the use of toxic chemicals.