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(originally published on December 5, 2023 on www.helloalegria.com website)

I am thrilled to share the exciting news that my team of researchers and I have won the third place in the Future is Fungi global competition in the Research category!

The prestigious european-based award recognized our research on fungal materials that decompose mixed-fiber textile waste; a sustainable and innovative approach to waste management. Our project aimed to harness two natural abilities of fungi: biofabrication and bioremediation. Mycelium, the root structure of certain types of fungi, can grow as a matrix binding different types of waste particles such as agricultural residues mixed with shredded textile fibers, resulting in foam-like composites with good compressive properties that can be recycled on a closed loop. 

Mushrooms are also known as nature's decomposers and recent research has proved their ability to break down complex hydrocarbon compounds like some of the plastics that make up synthetic textile fibers. Joining these two fungal features will allow us to obtain biomaterials that can biodegrade textile waste into compost along their lifecycle.

I am grateful for my team composed by professors Valeria La Saponara and Christina Cogdell from the University of California Davis; and for the support from interdisciplinary student researchers, and from The Green Initiative Fund at UC Davis, that made this achievement possible. Together, we are working towards a future where fungi play a vital role in creating a more sustainable and circular economy.

Our research and work has also been featured in the Aggie Connections and UC Davis Letters and Science website, check it up here: