ANTEC 2024

Expanded polystyrene (EPS), commonly known as Styrofoam, has been utilized for various packaging and shipping applications despite being notoriously difficult to recycle resulting in microplastics and other environmental concerns. Research efforts have focused on evaluating mycelium-based materials for packaging applications due to their unique mechanical properties and biodegradability. Mycelium is the root system of fungi and composed of natural polymers including cellulose, protein, lignin and chitin; it typically grows on a substrate made of agricultural waste products or dead organic materials. To replace EPS, mycelium biocomposites must be robust to various weather environments. As a natural biocomposite, this material is known to be affected by the environment and thus it is critical to understand how temperature and humidity affect its properties.