Looking for a stylish new handbag? On to the produce aisle!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Sustainable fashion is all the rage, but did you know mushrooms can be made into textiles?!
Their fibrous mycelia innards are the reason why. But, processing these mushroom fibers is difficult to do without destroying their internal structures. Then they can get stained, limiting their use. How can we do it better?
Hiroya Nakauchi, Yoshihiki Amano, and Satomi Tagawa from Shinshu University in Japan devised a more effective method!
They first treat and bleach the fibers using SUNLIGHT. Next, they use ultrasound waves to gently separate the fibers. This method is cheap, preserves the fiber structure, and can be mass produced. No staining either!
This new SHROOMY material can be used to make textiles, sponges, or other materials. Plus, this can help eliminate waste from mushroom agriculture!
When I’m looking for a new work bag, it better be EXTRA shroomy!
Reference: Nakauchi, H., Amano, Y., & Tagawa, S. (2023). Preparation of mycelium pulp from mushroom fruiting bodies. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 11(44), 15789–15794. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c04795