Environmental protection is not just a trend, it is a must: the finalists in the SPbU Start-up − 2023 contest present their project

The project not only seeks to satisfy consumer needs, but it also aims to address the environmental agenda. The original development by DOnatural will help to optimise the cultivation of mushrooms, with the subsequent production of household items from components in mushrooms, which can be used to replace plastic containers. It has been proven that when plastic degrades, it leaks hazardous toxins into the soil, water and air, negatively affecting the environment and human health.

St Petersburg University, the oldest university in Russia, was founded on 28 January (8 February) 1724. This is the day when Peter the Great issued a decree establishing the University and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Today, St Petersburg University is a world-class scientific, educational and cultural centre. In 2024, St Petersburg University will celebrate its 300th anniversary.

The plan of events during the celebration of the anniversary of the University was approved at the meeting of the Organising Committee for the celebration of St Petersburg University’s 300th anniversary. The meeting was chaired by Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Among the events are the naming of a minor planet in honour of St Petersburg University; the issuance of bank cards with a special design; the creation of postage stamps dedicated to the history of the oldest university in Russia; and the branding of the aircraft of the Rossiya Airlines to name just a few. The University has launched a website dedicated to the upcoming holiday. The website contains information about outstanding University staff, students, and alumni; scientific achievements; and details of preparations for the anniversary.

In most cases, eco-friendly food packaging contains some synthetic substances in its composition, or its production is considered uneconomical. The members of the start-up team DOnatural therefore decided to develop their own packaging material made from fungal chitin. The material would be free from inorganic contaminants that are harmful to living organisms.

From mushrooms, you can make not only paper, but also a material that will decompose much faster than plastic — from three months to a year.

Ekaterina Makarenko, Captain of the DOnatural team, a master’s student in the Economic Theory programme at St Petersburg University

Biotechnology of chitin-based materials consists of three stages of development, culminating in an environmentally friendly finished material in its raw, unprocessed form. The first stage involves the collection and sorting of pileus mushrooms. The second step focuses on preparation of mushroom extract. Then the extract is filtered using a vacuum filtration system. The development process is complete after the sediment has been subjected to wet pressing and drying.

The team unites students from St Petersburg University and ITMO University. The team captain Ekaterina Makarenko, a 1st-year doctoral student in the Economic Theory programme at St Petersburg University, is in charge of the optimal distribution of tasks. Vladimir Topchii, a 1st-year master’s student in the Innovative Entrepreneurship programme at ITMO University, is responsible for marketing. Veronika Sadomskaia, a 1st-year master’s student in the Industrial Biotechnology programme at ITMO University, and Konstantin Serov, a 1st-year master’s student in the Innovative Entrepreneurship programme at ITMO University, are addressing the challenges of biotechnology.

To ensure that food containers made from mushrooms pose no threat to human health, the team is to determine their physical and mechanical properties: material strength; water permeability; thermal resistance; and potential contamination of food from food packaging material.

Read the following articles in the series "SPbU Start-up — 2023" that will feature other finalist teams and innovative projects in: Information Technology; Artificial Intelligence; Agriculture; and other fields.

Ekaterina Makarenko, Captain of the DOnatural team, underlined that one of the main advantages of their project is the wide range of possible uses and applications of fungal chitin-bearing materials. They can be used not only to replace plastic packaging, but also to make furniture or even to create paintings. ‘Our project has drawn much attention from the St Petersburg Union of Artists. The artists who work with uncommon materials would like to use our material in artworks or installations,’ shared Ekaterina Makarenko.

Moreover, in order not to take up huge areas for mushroom spawning, the team plans to optimise the production of mushrooms using vertical farming techniques. Such cultivation method does not require tilling; hence, it is a space efficient method to produce a high yield of mushrooms.

Mushrooms can be cultivated on paper-based compost. What is more, not just new, unused paper, but also waste paper can be used as a substrate for mushrooms, because this material contains the nutrients that fungi need. The key point is to create the right growing conditions. In theory, you can grow mushrooms on waste, thus recycling the waste materials.

Vladimir Topchii, a marketer in the DOnatural team

In future, the DOnatural team will focus on their main goals. These include: continuing laboratory research; improving the commercial value of the product; attracting investors; and refining their business model so that it will enable achieving the research goals and also being profitable. ‘The market needs our development because environmental protection is not just a trend, it is a must. We fit into an extended producer responsibility system. I believe that investors will back projects like ours, that is sustainable, long-term and with greater potential for market success,’ Vladimir Topchii said. The DOnatural team is ready to scale up the production if necessary, in order to satisfy — at least partially — the needs of the population in sustainable alternatives to plastic.