Mycelium is a mass of long, branching, thread-like hyphae which grow through voids, usually in the soil. Mycelium can be grown around a food source such as agricultural by-products in a mould, creating a durable material similar to polystyrene of the desired shape.
Uses
- Packaging – Since 2007, a company called Ecovative Design has been developing alternatives to polystyrene and plastic packaging using this technique. Depending on the strain of mycelium used, they make many different varieties of the material including water absorbent, flame retardant, and dielectric.
- Lampshades – Ecovative offer a ‘Grow-it-yourself’ kit allowing people to create mushroom materials themselves, used to create products including lamp shades.
- Building Construction
Potential Uses
- Insulation – Trials of ‘Greensulate’, a former Ecovative product, were conducted in Vermont in 2009, but the product was later dropped when the company switched focus to the manufacture of protective packaging.
- Acoustic panels – Ecovative research
- Core of composite panel -Ecovative Research and see Kadagaya.org
- Aquatic products
Processes
Summarised from instructions available at giy.ecovativedesign.com:
- Use gloves, and sanitise gloves, working area and mold with rubbing alcohol, to avoid competing organisms such as common mold species
- Mix mycelium with food source such as agricultural waste
- Place into mold for 3–5 days
- Remove from mold and deactivate the fungus to stop further growth by drying at 93 degrees C, checking planter every 30 mins until the weight is about 35% of the original weight.
More Information
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecovative_Design
- http://www.kadagaya.org/index.php/en/technology/technical-materials
- https://shop.ecovativedesign.com/collections/grow-it-yourself
- MycoMedica – a leading independent EU producer and supplier of (mainly medicinal) mushrooms and food supplements