3D Printing of Biomass-Fungi Composite Material: A Preliminary Study

This paper reports a 3D printing based manufacturing method using biomass-fungi composite material. The biomass is derived from waste agricultural materials. The fungi grow through the biomass and bind the biomass together. The novel method comprised the preparation of a printable biomass-fungi mixture. After printing, the fungi grew inside the printed sample over a few days. The feasibility of this new method was demonstrated by a preliminary experiment. In comparison to molding based manufacturing processes, 3D printing can facilitate greater flexibility in design and print custom designs for packaging and construction applications. (C) 2020 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.