We have developed a cellulose‐polyethylene blend polymer film for degradative susceptibility to brown rot or cellulasic fungi. Paxon low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) polymer pellets were melt‐blended with 8855 cellulose. A pure polyethylene sample was melted, pressed and used as the control. Naturally occurring fungi were harvested from decaying wood and cultured on full nutrient agar until individual phenotypes developed. The discrete fungal colonies were isolated and transferred to bacteriological agar with carboxymethylcellulose as the only carbon source. Surviving fungi were subjected to an indirect cellulase assay to confirm cellulolytic properties. Trichoderma viride showed 100% surface area growth on low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) blended with 8% (w/w) cellulose in 90 days. Growth coverage by Gliomastix on LDPE blended with 8% cellulose reached 100 % in 150 days, and up to 72% growth activity on blends with 1.5% cellulose, 1% cellulose, and the control LDPE.
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