Students from the environment faculty of Da Nang University of Science & Technology, Vietnam, have successfully used cotton waste to grow mushrooms.
The idea was raised when Do Duc Hoa, Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong and Nguyen Thi Thieu Van, members of the RSL Group of students, spent their intern period at the Hoa Tho Textile & Garment in Da Nang.
The students discovered that up to 500 kg of cotton debris was produced daily during the production process. The waste cotton caused serious pollution to the environment, while it was costly to collect the waste.
They also discovered that if the cotton was put in wet places, mushroom clusters would grow on it.