Mycelial Leather Replacement Compositions with Improved Affinity to Anionic Aqueous Chemistry

A composition of matter for creating mycelial leather alternatives, comprising:

• a. a mycelium-based substrate wherein chitin is enzymatically or chemically transformed into chitosan, imparting increased softness and reactivity;
• b. a cationized form of the mycelium-based substrate, achieved through the application of cationic chlorohydrin, which renders the substrate positively charged and enhances its reactivity with anionic treatments;
• and
• c. a system for uniformly applying an anionic aqueous treatment to the cationized substrate, thereby ensuring consistent coloration, softness, and chemical homogeneity across the mycelial leather replacement composition.

A system for enhancing mycelial leather replacement compositions, comprising:

• a mycelium material substrate;
• a deacetylation unit configured to enzymatically or chemically convert chitin to chitosan through deacetylation within the mycelium material substrate;
• a cationization unit configured to cationize the mycelium material substrate by applying cationic chlorohydrin;
• an affinity enhancement mechanism combining the deacetylation and cationization processes to enhance the affinity of the mycelial material interaction by means of anionic aqueous treatment;
• a homogeneity control unit for ensuring uniform distribution of aqueous anionic treatment within the mycelial leather replacement compositions;
• a bonding unit for creating bonds between the cationized mycelial material substrate and cellulosic fibers resulting in a positively charged fiber that maintains its charge in aqueous solution across a wide range of pH values;
• and
• a dyeing unit for improving dyeing efficiency in mycelial leather replacement composition.