Recent advances on environmentally sustainable valorization of spent mushroom substrate: A review

Abstract

AbstractCommercial cultivation of edible mushrooms utilizes a large amount of lignocellulosic material as a substrate. After harvest, the leftover substrate, referred to as a spent mushroom substrate (SMS), largely remains biochemically unaltered. In light of the global rise in the number of edible mushroom production facilities, it is pertinent to sustainably manage the by‐products of the mushroom production process, particularly SMS. Following the principles of the circular economy, SMS has shown potential for a variety of applications: SMS can be used as substrate for a new cycle of mushroom cultivation or as animal feed, fertilizer, soil amendment, bioremediation agent or a substrate for renewable energy production such as biogas, bioethanol, biohydrogen, solid biofuel, bio‐crude and bio‐oil. This article summarizes the current state of knowledge in various applications, highlights recent developments in the field, discusses potential barriers and offers suggestions for the long‐term growth of the mushroom industry worldwide.