Aussie researchers design new biodegradable bags for mushroom farming

SYDNEY, June 9– Australian researchers from the University of Queensland said on Friday that they are working with mushroom growers to develop new biodegradable bags for the industry, in a bid to reduce plastic waste. “Grow bags are widely used across the fungiculture industry, but most are made from non-biodegradable materials which can only be burned or sent…

SYDNEY, June 9 (Xinhua) — Australian researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) said on Friday that they are working with mushroom growers to develop new biodegradable bags for the industry, in a bid to reduce plastic waste.

“Grow bags are widely used across the fungiculture industry, but most are made from non-biodegradable materials which can only be burned or sent to landfill,” said Nasim Amiralian, leader of the project and research fellow at UQ.

“This adds to the 80,000-plus tonnes of plastic waste generated by Australian agriculture each year,” she noted.

According to Amiralian, the 12-month project is about designing a grow bag that can provide optimum growing conditions and also break down in soil.

The scholar pointed out that existing biodegradable plastics made from corn starch, potato starch, or mycelium are often brittle and lack long-term integrity.

“But using fibers from agricultural waste like sugarcane is an affordable, high quality and sustainable way to ensure plastic grow bags can withstand high temperatures and humidity,” she said.

Amiralian hoped that the grow bag project could lay the groundwork for the technology to be applied across agriculture, manufacturing, pulping, and packaging.

“Ultimately we’d like to see the product we develop translated to the global fungiculture and packaging markets,” she added. Enditem