Guayule bagasse to make mycelium composites: An alternative to enhance the profitability of a sustainable guayule crop

Abstract

Parthenium argentatum Gray, known as Guayule is recognized for its quality latex production. For this reason, the cultivation of this plant generates an important economic interest. Although this crop thrives in arid climates, its production has not been extended due to a high production cost per hectare compared to other rubber sources. To alleviate this difference in market prices and make Guayule rubber production competitive, several options have been proposed. One of them is the use of bagasse, which has been used to produce biofuels and refractory bricks, among other alternatives. Mycelium composites are a novel type of material with physical-mechanical characteristics similar to some types of expanded polystyrene with the additional advantage of being fully compostable. In this article, we successfully manufactured a Mycelium-based bio-composite using bagasse from guayule and a wild strain of Ganoderma curtisii by a simple pressed method, which is cost-effective, eco-friendly, and fully compostable. The composite G. curtisii/guayule showed excellent insulating ability with a K factor value of 0.0792 Btu/(h•ft•°F). In the same way, compressive strength and density values obtained were 0.740 MPa and 0.469 gcm−3, respectively. The composite G. curtisii/guayule manufactured in this work, has a low cost of manufacture and is environmentally friendly. Subsequent explorations for its use in various industrial applications like packing, building insulation, and interior design, could make more profitable the cultivation of guayule plant.