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Recent years have shown a surge in interest in incorporating living systems into materials research to synthesize functional materials using biological resources. Among these, mycelium-based materials, notably biofoam, have emerged as innovative solutions for repurposing organic wastes that were previously considered unusable. The growth of mycelium, vital for the synthesis of biofoam, is influenced by a multuple of factors including substrate composition, moisture content, temperature, nutrient availability, pH levels, oxygen concentration, and measures for contamination control. Additionally, physical stimulation techniques have been explored to enhance mycelium growth, ranging from cold stress-induced adaptations to electrical shock-induced modifications and optimization of sound treatments and light exposure. This review highlights the growing interest in biofoam composite materials, a novel class of environmentally friendly and cost-effective materials that are gaining popularity, for advancing sustainable construction practices. Biofoam composites use organic fungal growth as a low-energy bio-fabrication process to transform abundant agricultural byproducts and waste into viable alternatives to energy-intensive manufactured building materials. Their versatility in composition and manufacturing methods allows them to be used in a wide range of applications, including insulation and door cores, panelling, flooring, and furniture components. Notably, biofoams outperform synthetic foams and engineered wood in terms of thermal insulation, sound absorption, and fire resistance, making them highly promising for construction industry. Besides, due to its customizable composition and production method, biofoam can be used in the replacement of foams, leather, wood, and plastics in a variety of applications such as water treatment and filtration, medical supplies and healthcare applications. However, despite their remarkable properties, biofoam typically serve as non- or semi-structural supplements to traditional construction materials due to inherent limitations. Nevertheless, the useful material properties of these materials, combined with their low cost, ease of manufacture, and environmental sustainability, imply that they will have an important part to play in the development of environmentally friendly materials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanate-based materials are attractive inorganic adsorbents for wastewater treatment but also could be used as high performances ceramics. In this study, platelets and wires like morphologies of sodium titanate were successfully synthesized via an unconventional sol-gel method, starting with titanium tetrachloride, TiCl4 and sodium hydroxide, NaOH precursors, and coupled with hydrothermal maturation at 160°C for 24h. Afterwards, through an alkaline hydrothermal maturation, this intermediate phase gradually converted into a sodium titanate with a preserved morphology. The powder thus obtained, was compositionally characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), structural properties were highlighted by imaging through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric measurements were carried out to determine the transformations that occur between 25-1000 °C. It is shown that a mix of two titanate phase Na2TinO2n+1 with n = 3 and 6 was obtained, having wires and platelet like morphology and micron sizes particles, with a crystallite size of 22 nm grown on Miller indices plane (200). This work was designed to improve the production yield by using an unconventional titanate synthesis method and precursors.

Plastic waste and polyurethane foam are major sources of pollution that threatens environments’ biodiversity. The objective of the study is to create an eco-friendly foam from Pleorotus djamor mycelium, rice husk and sugarcane bagasse. The mushroom industry’s overabundance of materials, like oyster mushrooms and biomass, has provided an alternative method to make foam that could be beneficial for the environment. The biomass, consisting of rice husk and sugarcane bagasse, both of which are necessary for the production of foam, was evaluated as a substrate. Pleurotus djamor was inoculated on both substrates and test was done on both produced foams. Mechanical tests showed that rice husk foam had higher hardness and less springy than sugarcane bagasse foam. The morphology of both foams was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the results show that sugarcane bagasse foam is denser than rice husk foam.

The objective of this work was to study the biodegradability of polylactic acid (PLA)/paddy straw powder (PSP) biocomposites. Environmental degradation was evaluated by composting the biocomposite samples into the soil. Different techniques, including mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were used to obtain a view of the degradation that occurred during the soil burial of the biocomposites. Results of the mechanical tests showed that an increasing content of PSP in the biocomposites decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break (EB), while it increased the modulus of elasticity after six months of exposure. Scanning electron microscopy on the surface after soil burial showed that the filler was poorly wetted by the matrix. This explains the reduction in tensile strength and the elongation at break after soil burial. Differential scanning calorimetry results indicated that the crystallinity of the biocomposites increased with longer composting periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with different soya spent powder (SSP) blend contents upon oven aging. The aged properties of the HDPE/SSP blends were studied by using tensile test, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared analysis. The tensile strength and elongation at break ( Eb) decreased inversely proportional to SSP content and aging period. The thermal stability of the blends was significantly reduced after 21 days of aging. After aging, the melting temperature and crystallinity of the blends decreased with increasing aging period. These results revealed that samples with higher SSP content are more brittle upon oven aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]