About This Project

Can textile waste be repurposed and recycled as a raw material for the growth of mycelium leathers? Textile waste is accumulating in landfills due to overcunsumption of garments and poor recycling opportunities. Textile biodegradation by various fungal strains (Pleurotus ostreatus, Schyzophyllium comune and Omphalatus nidiformis) will be assessed to find the most efficient strain to biodegrade denim and synthetic textile waste, and which is best for myco-leather production.

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What is the context of this research?

This experiment was based on the previous observations that most fungal strains are able to biodegrade cellulose but also different types of plastic (PUR and PET), which are the main components of textile. Mycelium is also used for the production of leather-like materials by various companies. In previous experiments, samples of composite flexible mycelium materials were produced through the biodegradation of combinations of denim or synthetic textile waste, food waste and spent coffee grounds using the mycelium of P. ostreatus (oyster), at the scale of a petri dish. Provided the soft nature of the substrate, the composite material was malleable, and therefore interesting for further textile applications.

What is the significance of this project?

The fashion industry produces over 100 billion garments per year, of which 60% are plastic based and 85% will end up in a dump before the end of the year. Considering that various micro and macro-organisms, such as fungi and more specifically mycelium, are capable of biodegrading cellulose and complex plastic molecules, an opportunity to rethink the linearity of the textile industry emerges. Beyond breaking down the waste products, the mycelium hyphae network can produce mycelium-based materials, including leather-like materials, adoptable in the fashion industry. Producing a composite mycelium leather from the textile waste, forming a new textile from it and repeating the loop represents a way to eliminate the accumulation problem and replace it with natural solutions.

What are the goals of the project?

The first goal is to compare the biodegradation of denim textile waste and synthetic textile waste by P. ostreatus, O. nidiformis and S. comune in petri dishes (3 replicates for each textile type and for each strain) using the velocity of colonization as a criteria. Second is to enhance the quality of the composite leather already developped by repeating the previous experiments in an incubator controling temperature, humidity and CO2. Third, to enhance the quality of the composite leather already developped, especifically the resistance to tearing by felting the fibers prior to inoculation, using the best strain. And last, to upscale the size of the composite leather production to reach 3 sheets of 50cm x 50cm and make a design object out of it (bag).