Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) have developed an agriculture waste-based packaging material, which they say can be a sustainable alternative to plastic foams that are used currently.
The researchers cultivated fungi, such as Ganoderma lucidum, a type of mushroom known for its medicinal properties, and Pleurotus ostreatus, an edible mushroom, on agriculture and paper waste to derive the material. They explored various optimal combinations of fungal strains and substrates to produce a composite material, which turned out to be sturdy, a press release stated.
The fungal strains were allowed to grow on five different substrates — cardboard, sawdust, paper, cocopith, and hay — and Ganoderma on cardboard achieved a compressive strength greater than expanded polystyrene (EPS), the release added.
With over 350 million tonnes of agriculture waste is generated in India every year. While much of it is burnt or left to decay, these materials can provide a sustainable alternative to plastics and significantly reduce the four million-odd tonnes of plastic waste that is generated in the country.
The researchers have established NatureWrks Technologies, a start-up incubated by IIT-M, to develop and commercialise the product. The start-up will also pursue technology transfer in collaboration with industry partners, explore licensing agreements to enable wider adoption of these solutions, and aim to seek government funding to accelerate the development of the product.
Lakshminath Kundanati, assistant professor, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, is the lead researcher and co-founder of the start-up. Other members of the team include Sandra Rose Biby and Vivek Surendran, both research scholars at IIT-M. The findings were published in Bioresource Technology Report, a peer-reviewed journal, in June.
Published – July 31, 2025 08:10 pm IST
