Addressing the impacts of climate change and global warming has become an urgent priority for the planet’s well-being. In recent decades the great potential of fungal-based products with characteristics equal to, or even outperforming, classic petroleum-derived products has been acknowledged. These new materials present the added advantage of having a reduced carbon footprint, less environmental impact and contributing to the shift away from a fossil-based economy. This study focused on the production of insulation panels using fungal mycelium and lignocellulosic materials as substrates. The process was optimized, starting with the selection of Trametes versicolor, Pleurotus ostreatus, P. eryngii, Ganoderma carnosum and Fomitopsis pinicola isolates, followed by the evaluation of three grain spawn substrates (millet, wheat and a 1:1 mix of millet and wheat grains) for mycelium propagation, and finishing with the production of various mycelium-based composites using five wood by-products and waste materials (pine sawdust, oak shavings, tree of heaven wood chips, wheat straw and shredded beech wood). The obtained biomaterials were characterized for internal structure by X-ray micro-CT, thermal transmittance using a thermoflowmeter and moisture absorption. The results showed that using a wheat and millet 1:1 (w/w) mix is the best option for spawn production regardless of the fungal isolate. In addition, the performance of the final composites was influenced both by the fungal isolate and the substrate used, with the latter having a stronger effect on the measured properties. The study shows that the most promising sustainable insulating biomaterial was created using T. versicolor grown on wheat straw.

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of fermentative glutaric acid (GA) production, integrating laboratory-scale fermentation data with pilot-scale hydrolysis and process simulations. Using SuperPro Designer, we assessed scalability, capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX/OPEX), and downstream processing (DSP) alternatives. At an optimal scale of 26,500 tons/year, GA production costs reached 5.5 USD/kg, below the current market benchmark of 10 USD/kg. Fermentation was the major CAPEX contributor, accounting for ~40 MUSD in equipment cost, reflecting the relatively low titer (90 g/L) compared to citric and itaconic acid benchmarks. OPEX was dominated by raw material costs, with molasses price variation (600–1000 USD/ton) leading to product markups ranging from 5.2 to 3.6 USD/kg. Among DSP strategies, liquid–liquid extraction and evaporation were the most cost-effective, with liquid–liquid extraction reducing costs by ~1 USD/kg compared to pH-based precipitation. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that fermentation titer had a larger economic impact than fermentation time. Overall, the study highlights the central role of feedstock costs and fermentation efficiency in GA industrial feasibility, providing critical insights for future process optimization and pilot-scale validation.