Suitability of Mycelium-Reinforced Nanofiber Mats for Filtration of Different Dyes

Electrospun nanofiber mats have a high specific surface area and very small pores which can be tailored by the spinning process. They are thus highly suitable as filters for small particles and molecules, such as organic dyes. On the other hand, they are usually very thin and thus have low mechanical properties. As a potential reinforcement, mycelium of Pleurotus ostreatus was grown on poly(acrylonitrile) nanofiber mats and thermally solidified after fully covering the nanofiber mats. This study investigates whether the filtration efficiency of the nanofiber mats is altered by the mycelium growing through it and whether the mechanical properties of the nanofibrous filters can be improved in this way. The study shows fast and reliable growth of the mycelium on the nanofiber mats and high filtration efficiency for astra blue and chlorophyll, while indigo carmine showed only very low filtration efficiency of up to 20%. For chlorophyll and safranin, membranes with mycelium showed higher filtration than pure nanofiber mats. In diffusion cell tests, especially astra blue was strongly adsorbed on the membranes with mycelium.