0000000000174734
AUTHOR
Marite Skute
Characterization of Self-Growing Biomaterials Made of Fungal Mycelium and Various Lignocellulose-Containing Ingredients
In this study, novel blends of mycelium biocomposites (MB) were developed. Various combinations of birch sawdust and hemp shives with birch bark (BB) and wheat bran (WB) additives were inoculated with basidiomycete Trametes versicolor to produce self-growing biomaterials. MB were characterized according to mycelial biomass increment in final samples, changes in chemical composition, elemental (C, H, N) analyses, granulometry of substrates, water-related and mechanical properties, as well as mold resistance and biodegradability. The mycelial biomass in manufactured MB increased by ~100% and ~50% in hemp and sawdust substrates, respectively. The lignocellulose ingredients during fungal growth…
Characterisation of films and nanopaper obtained from cellulose synthesised by acetic acid bacteria
Bacterial cellulose (BC) samples were obtained using two culture media (glucose and glucose+fructose) and two bacteria (Komagataeibacter rhaeticus and Komagataeibacter hansenii). Nanopaper was obtained from the BC through oxidation and both were studied to determine the impact of culture media and bacteria strain on nanofiber structure and mechanical properties. AFM and SEM were used to investigate fibre dimensions and network morphology; FTIR and XRD to determine cellulose purity and crystallinity; carboxyl content, degree of polymerisation and zeta potential were used to characterise nanofibers. Tensile testing showed that nanopaper has up to 24 times higher Young's modulus (7.39GPa) than…