Agriculture is vital to Thai society and economy; however, it has also led to a drastically increasing number of wastes and leftover materials, which is also called ‘biomass’. This has thus resulted in burning, which, although easy and less expensive to do, is harmful to human health, and the environment and is one of the causes of greenhouse gases. Mr. Worawoot Aiduang, a PhD student from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, CMU, was intrigued by the issue and developed a structural material derived from agricultural wastes. His success is guaranteed by the two awards won from Japan.
His research titled, ‘Utilisation of agriculture wastes to produce an environmentally friendly material from mushroom mycelium’ studied value increasing of biomasses such as rice straw, corn husks, bamboo residues and sugar cane leaves, and burning of production leftovers, and came up with a mycelium-biocomposite material that is biodegradable and environmentally-friendly. The two science awards won from Japan were:
- Excellent Presenter in the Poster Session (Microbiology) Award of the Sakura Science Program 2021, awarded on November 22, 2021, and
- Best Speaker Award in Young Scientist Seminar (18th YSS, 2021), Yamaguchi University, awarded on November 28, 2021.
This research has immense potential for further development, as the material can be developed into structural materials for wall panels, roofs, lightweight materials, as well as disposable daily objects or plastic alternatives. CMU is prepared to push research in accordance with the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model, as well as foster research skills to students, allowing them to produce research and innovation published in different forms both domestically and internationally and ultimately earning international recognition.