Exploring Ganoderma lucidum as a sustainable bioleather alternative from sawdust

The global leather market faces ethical and environmental challenges due to animal use and hazardous chemical processing. To address these issues, this study explores a sustainable leather substitute derived from Ganoderma lucidum mycelium, a fungus known for its medicinal properties. The bioleather production process mirrored traditional leather-making steps—culturing, substrate pretreatment, scaling up via solid-state fermentation, tanning, and characterization—using plant-based, non-hazardous materials. The resulting fungal sheets were five times foldable, unbreakable, and closely resembled animal leather. The highest tensile strength recorded was 0.487 MPa, with a 69.29% elongation. FTIR spectra indicated tannin-protein interactions, with shifts in phenolic C-O and C-O-C stretching. TGA analysis revealed the fungal sheet's thermal stability, maintaining 90% integrity up to 200°C. FE-SEM imaging showed small pores, correlating with enhanced mechanical properties such as tensile strength and flexibility. These findings suggest that fungal sheets have practical application potential, even at this early development stage. With further refinement, this bioleather offers a promising, eco-friendly alternative to traditional leather.