Editing Mycelium (section)

===Commercial===
Alternatives to polystyrene and plastic packaging can be produced by growing mycelium in agricultural waste.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/techknow/blog/2013/9/15/how-to-replace-foamandplasticpackagingwithmushroomexperiments.html |title= How to replace foam and plastic packaging with mushroom experiments |date= 13 September 2013 | vauthors = Kile M |publisher=Al Jazeera America }}</ref>

Mycelium has also been used as a material in furniture, and [[artificial leather]].<ref>{{cite web |title= The bizarre fabrics that fashion is betting on |language=en| vauthors = Lawrie E |date=10 September 2019 |website=BBC |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49550263}}</ref>

One of the main commercial uses of mycelium is its use to create artificial leather. Animal leather contributes to a significant environmental footprint, as livestock farming is associated with deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and grazing. In addition, the production of synthetic leathers from [[polyvinyl chloride]] and [[polyurethane]] require the use of hazardous chemicals and fossil fuels, and they are not [[Biodegradation|biodegradable]] (like plastic). Fungal-based artificial leather is cheaper to produce, has less of an environmental footprint, and is biodegradable. It costs between 18 and 28 cents to produce a square meter of raw mycelium, while it costs between $5.81 and $6.24 to produce a square meter of raw animal hide. Fungal growth is carbon neutral and pure mycelium is 94% biodegradable. However, the use of polymeric [[Mycelium-based materials|materials]] such as [[polyester]] or [[polylactic acid]] to improve artificial leather’s properties can negatively affect the biodegradability of the material.<ref name="Jones" />

To create leather, fungal mycelium is grown either using liquid-state or solid-state fermentation. In liquid-state fermentation, companies typically use laboratory media or agricultural byproducts to grow fungal biomass. The fungal biomass is then separated into fibers and processed using fiber suspension, filtration, pressing, and drying. These techniques are also commonly utilized in traditional papermaking processes. In solid-state fermentation, mycelium is grown on forestry bioproducts, like sawdust, in an environment with high carbon dioxide concentrations and controlled humidity and temperature. The mycelium mat formed on top of the particle bed is dehydrated, chemically treated, and then compressed to a desired thickness and engraved with a pattern.<ref name="Jones">{{Cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Mitchell |last2=Gandia |first2=Antoni |last3=John |first3=Sabu |last4=Bismarck |first4=Alexander |date=January 2021 |title=Leather-like material biofabrication using fungi |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00606-1 |journal=Nature Sustainability |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=9–16 |doi=10.1038/s41893-020-00606-1 |issn=2398-9629}}</ref>