Valeria La Saponara
Description: Valeria La Saponara is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Davis. Her research investigates the durability of fiber-reinforced composites for aerospace, civil, naval and wind energy applications. She is the founder and Principal Investigator of the laboratory called Advanced Composites Research, Engineering and Science (ACRES) laboratory. More recently she has shifted her focus to studying Mycelium and its potential use cases for addressing a plethora of environmental challenges. In this episode we mainly talk about her work with mycelium, what it is, and the importance of creativity and innovation in solving our environmental crises.
Websites: Valeria La Saponara
Publications:
A comprehensive framework for the production of mycelium-based lignocellulosic composites
Use of Ganoderma lucid grown on agricultural waste to remove antibiotics from water
News Articles:
A Sustainable Solution: Compostable Wind Turbine Blades
Favorite Book on Topic:
Fungal Bioremediation by Araceli Tomasini, H. Hugo Leon Santiesteban
Resources:
United Nations Document on Antimicrobial Resistance
Abstract of Upcoming Paper:
Use of mixed-fiber textile waste as reinforcement in mycelium
composites: assessment of material features and life cycles.
Ruiz, Alejandra(a); La Saponara, Valeria(b); Mak, Jacques(a, c); Rowe, Allison(d)
(a) Department of Design. University of California Davis, United States of America;
(b) Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. University of California Davis, United States; (c) Department of Biological Science. University of California Davis, United States;
(d) College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. University of California Davis, United States.
Keywords: Mycelium composites; post-consumer textile waste; materials design; myco-fabrication; Pleurotus Ostreatus.
Abstract: Mixed fiber textile waste is a significant problem of the textile and fashion industry because of the difficulty of separating natural/synthetic fiber blends prior to bioconversion processing. Repurposing mixed fibers can extend the life cycle of this waste stream, diverting it from landfilling and incineration, lowering carbon emissions. Biofabrication is an emerging technology for the revalorization of these types of waste into materials with a diverse range of applications. In our work, we use fungal mycelium, for its ability to break down and bind to complex compounds, such as those present in mixed textile fibers.
In this paper we present experimental procedures and results on manufacturing processes and compressive behavior of mycelium composites prepared from inoculation of oyster mycelium (Pleurotus Ostreatus) into textile waste mixed with local agricultural waste. We then discuss environmental implications in the lifecycle of the resulting materials and the waste streams involved. Our objective is to investigate the repurposing of mixed-fiber textile waste into light-weight composite structures for potential use in low load bearing engineering applications.
The results of this research intend to inform the emerging field of Sustainable Materials Design, Materials made from Waste, and DIY Materials, contributing solutions to economic, environmental and social problems created by waste, as well as to highlight the opportunities for development based on the understanding of this waste as a resource.
Show Notes:
[01:15] Introduction and how she became interested in mycelium
[14:00] What is mycelium and how do you grow it?
[19:45] How do you split your time between traditional materials science and mycelium work?
[21:30] Will academia start to accept mycelium in traditional research?
[24:45] Her research with using mycelium for wind turbine blades
[34:50] What kind of issues arise when growing bamboo on different materials?
[38:45] What are your current projects within bioremediation?
[44:15] The struggles with publishing research with mycelium
[50:45] How do you use mycelium in the field for bioremediation efforts?
[54:15] Communication networks of mycelium
[56:30] What are your goals for mycelium?
[1:00:00] How should students get involved in mycelium?