Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LignoMBB (Lignin utilization in mycelium-based biocomposites from recycled wood)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-11-01 al 2025-10-31
The LignoMBB project was conceived in response to two challenges: the growing volume of recycled wood that cannot be reused in high-value applications, and the limited industrial utilisation of lignin, a by-product of the pulp and paper industry. Both materials represent significant resources within Europe’s circular bioeconomy. At the same time, the construction and materials sectors are under increasing pressure to replace fossil-based and energy-intensive materials with renewable and low-carbon alternatives.
The overall objective of the project was to explore how biological processes, namely fungal mycelium growth, could transform lignin and recycled wood into new types of mycelium-based biocomposites (MBBs). The idea was that fungi, through their enzymatic systems, can act as a natural biobinder, creating composites with no use of synthetic adhesives. By combining biological activity with waste valorisation, LignoMBB aimed to demonstrate a new model of material production that is environmentally sound. Beyond the research goal, the project also pursued training and career objectives for the researcher, including skill development in mycology, spectroscopy, neural-network modelling, and research management.
In the broader European context, LignoMBB directly supports the ambitions of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan by addressing waste reduction, resource efficiency, and decarbonisation of materials.
By the end of the fellowship, the project demonstrated both technological feasibility and practical examples of bioprocessing at laboratory and pilot scale. These results provide a foundation for further research and potential transfer to industrial partners interested in sustainable and circular material production.
The overall objective of the project was to explore how biological processes, namely fungal mycelium growth, could transform lignin and recycled wood into new types of mycelium-based biocomposites (MBBs). The idea was that fungi, through their enzymatic systems, can act as a natural biobinder, creating composites with no use of synthetic adhesives. By combining biological activity with waste valorisation, LignoMBB aimed to demonstrate a new model of material production that is environmentally sound. Beyond the research goal, the project also pursued training and career objectives for the researcher, including skill development in mycology, spectroscopy, neural-network modelling, and research management.
In the broader European context, LignoMBB directly supports the ambitions of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan by addressing waste reduction, resource efficiency, and decarbonisation of materials.
By the end of the fellowship, the project demonstrated both technological feasibility and practical examples of bioprocessing at laboratory and pilot scale. These results provide a foundation for further research and potential transfer to industrial partners interested in sustainable and circular material production.
The LignoMBB project focused on developing MBBs produced from lignin and recycled wood (RW). The work followed three main scientific objectives that were completed through laboratory and pilot-scale experiments.
In the first phase, lignin was isolated from kraft black liquor by chemical precipitation and dried to obtain a fine powder. Recycled wood was processed into particle fractions of defined size, and several substrate formulations combining lignin and RW were tested as fungal feedstocks. The substrates were characterised and screened for fungal growth performance. This stage resulted in a validated technology for substrate preparation suitable for subsequent biocomposite production.
In the second phase, different white-rot fungal species (Ganoderma lucidum, G. sessile, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor) were cultivated on the developed substrates. Growth conditions were optimised. The research identified a new property range related to the high hardness of the composites. This was achieved by incorporating pulverised nutshells with high lignin content and by combining liquid- and solid-state fermentation into a single bioprocess. The new approach produced dense and hard composites.
In the third phase, the project demonstrated that solid-state fermentation can also reduce volatile organic compounds present in recycled wood. This finding indicates an environmental benefit of the biological process beyond material formation.
The experimental data collected from all stages were used to design an artificial neural-network model capable of predicting mechanical properties of MBBs from substrate composition and fungal species.
In the first phase, lignin was isolated from kraft black liquor by chemical precipitation and dried to obtain a fine powder. Recycled wood was processed into particle fractions of defined size, and several substrate formulations combining lignin and RW were tested as fungal feedstocks. The substrates were characterised and screened for fungal growth performance. This stage resulted in a validated technology for substrate preparation suitable for subsequent biocomposite production.
In the second phase, different white-rot fungal species (Ganoderma lucidum, G. sessile, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor) were cultivated on the developed substrates. Growth conditions were optimised. The research identified a new property range related to the high hardness of the composites. This was achieved by incorporating pulverised nutshells with high lignin content and by combining liquid- and solid-state fermentation into a single bioprocess. The new approach produced dense and hard composites.
In the third phase, the project demonstrated that solid-state fermentation can also reduce volatile organic compounds present in recycled wood. This finding indicates an environmental benefit of the biological process beyond material formation.
The experimental data collected from all stages were used to design an artificial neural-network model capable of predicting mechanical properties of MBBs from substrate composition and fungal species.
The first major result is the successful integration of kraft lignin and recycled wood into substrates for mycelium-based biocomposites. Until now, most research on MBBs relied on clean agricultural residues, while the use of post-consumer wood and industrial by-products was considered technically challenging due to chemical composition. LignoMBB developed a reproducible method for lignin isolation, drying, and mixing with RW particles, demonstrating uniform fungal colonisation and composite formation.
A second advance lies in the bioprocess innovation combining liquid- and solid-state fermentation. This hybrid method led to composites with exceptionally high hardness, surpassing the performance typically reported for MBBs.
A second advance lies in the bioprocess innovation combining liquid- and solid-state fermentation. This hybrid method led to composites with exceptionally high hardness, surpassing the performance typically reported for MBBs.