Giving mycelium a second life in the Netherlands

Cecilia Cintra, a civil engineering student at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, came to the Netherlands through the Living Lab Biobased Brazil program. As an intern at the Biobased Construction research group at MNEXT, she is actively contributing to the MycEoLA project, which focuses on how mycelium biocomposites used in construction can gain a second life instead of ending up as waste. 

Cecilia explains:
"My research focuses on how the properties of mycelium biocomposites change during remanufacturing cycles. The goal is to determine how many times they can be remanufactured without significant degradation, so we can expand the circular possibilities of these materials."

In her research, Cecilia has already discovered that “the growth rate of mycelium accelerates when extra nutrients are added to the recycled substrate.” This finding suggests that mycelium can potentially be recycled multiple times while retaining its essential properties.

Cecilia reflects on her experience in the Netherlands through LLB:
"The opportunity to work with experts from different fields is incredibly helpful for my own development. I learn a lot from their practical experience, and it gives me new insights that I can apply to my own research."

Looking ahead, Cecilia adds:
"It gives me hope to see that with this research, we are contributing to a more sustainable circular construction sector. I’m proud to be part of this!"