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Mush-Rooms: How Mycelium Concrete Could Revolutionize Building Construction

Posted on by dishanth
Mush-Rooms: How Mycelium Concrete Could Revolutionize Building Construction

Mush-Rooms: Mycelium concrete (Myocrete) could revolutionize low-carbon building construction and provide another tool for building green.

A new paper published by the University of Newcastle has outlined a new method of creating a mycelium concrete construction material, with potentially far-reaching changes as a result.

The Need for Low-Carbon Building Materials

Concrete, by far, is the world’s most used building material. It is cheap, incredibly strong, and easy to manufacture. However, it carries costs elsewhere in our world.

The environmental impact of concrete manufacture, use, and transportation is incredibly high. Concrete production is responsible for 8% of all greenhouse gases worldwide, making it the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Natural materials like mycelium concrete (myocrete) might be part of the answer.

Burning fossil fuels creates most of these greenhouse gases to heat the enormous kilns used to create concrete. As well as that, there are the negative effects of mining the sand and gravel required to create concrete, which disturbs the environment and destroys natural ecosystems.

There is also the fact that concrete production requires massive amounts of water, which puts a strain on communities and areas already in need.

There have been some developments to make concrete less environmentally damaging, such as improving the efficiency of kilns so they don’t require as much heat; however, by and large, concrete production and use have been disastrous for our world.

Nevertheless, new developments have been underway to replace this widely used building material, such as mass timber. However, a unique and potentially revolutionary new material could be just around the corner, and it’s something that you’re probably more used to seeing on your plate than in your buildings.

Mushrooms in Our Walls

Mycelium-based construction material research, including mycelium concrete, has been underway for several years, as the effects of concrete production have been well-documented for decades. However, so far, the ability to scale and use mycelium in construction has been limited by the available technology and methods.

Currently, the method used in creating mycelium-derived construction materials is by filling a rigid mold with a mixture of mycelium and a food source such as grain for the mycelium. This method can produce rigid shapes, such as bricks, which can be used in construction.

However, there are limitations to the usability of these materials. For one, the strength required to compete with concrete isn’t there, and the rigid mold limits the variety of shapes and structures.

A new method created at the University of Newcastle, dubbed mycocrete (mycelium concrete), could completely change this and how construction has been done. The way mycocrete works is similar to past methods, with some distinctions.

One of them is in the mold that the paste is put into; where previous methods used rigid molds, mycocrete uses a permeable knitted mold that facilitates the growth of the mycelium by the amount of oxygen available. This flexible mold also allows the mycelium to grow in shapes that otherwise would be impossible with a rigid mold.

The process works by filling the knitted mold with a mixture of mycelium, paper powder, paper fiber clumps, water, glycerin, and xanthan gum. This is then hung up in a dark, warm, humid environment to facilitate the mycelium’s growth.

The result is a mycelium-based material significantly stronger than conventional mycelium bricks, notably much stronger than the material created with rigid molds. This is due to the amount of oxygen the mycelium has access to, given the mold’s permeability.

Myocrete is Still in the Early Stages, Though

However, despite the team’s promising results at Newcastle, myocrete mycelium concrete based buildings are still quite far off.

While continuing to develop the mycelium compound is still of major importance, the main obstacle is the fact that the factories and industries that work with the construction industry will need to be re-tooled for mycelium concrete along with new installation equipment being implemented.

Nonetheless, they have created some interesting prototypes, including the “BioKnit” project. This project was created to demonstrate the use of alternative materials in solving conventional construction design problems.

The team created BioKnit as one piece to limit weak spots inherent in joinery. Dr. Jane Scott, the author of the corresponding paper, said, “Our ambition is to transform the look, feel, and well-being of architectural spaces using mycelium concrete in combination with biobased materials such as wool, sawdust, and cellulose.”

With the priority being placed on reducing the environmental impact of construction, this new method could completely change the way we live and the spaces we live inside.

 

 

 

 

Source Happy Eco News

Sustainable Mushroom Coffins – Human Compost

Posted on by dishanth
Sustainable Mushroom Coffins – Human Compost

Sustainable Mushroom Coffins

Mushroom coffins are made from mycelium, the vegetative part of fungi. The mycelium is grown around a mold of the desired shape and then dried, forming a sturdy, biodegradable material that can be used as an alternative to traditional coffins. These coffins are available in various shapes and sizes and can even be customized to suit individual preferences.

The coffin is designed to decompose quickly and enrich the soil. When buried, the mycelium in the coffin will break down organic matter, including human remains, into nutrients and minerals that nourish plants. It can also improve soil quality by breaking down toxic chemicals and pollutants in the soil, making it healthier for future growth.

 

Benefits Compared to Traditional Coffins

Reduced Carbon Emissions: Traditional coffins made of wood and metal are known to produce large amounts of carbon emissions during production and transportation. On the other hand, sustainable mushroom coffins are made of natural materials and require less energy to manufacture, resulting in lower carbon emissions.

Cost-effectiveness: Sustainable mushroom coffins are also more cost-effective than traditional coffins. While traditional coffins can be expensive due to the use of expensive materials and the cost of labour, mushroom coffins are much cheaper to produce, making them more affordable for families looking for sustainable alternatives.

Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: Sustainable mushroom coffins are also better for the environment because they utilize renewable natural resources and do not require harmful chemicals or pesticides to grow. Additionally, they help reduce the waste generated from traditional burial practices.

 

Composting Human Remains

Human compost is converting human remains, such as bones and tissue, into nutrient-rich soil using the same principles of composting used to fertilize gardens. It involves placing the body in a container filled with organic material like wood chips, straw, or sawdust. Oxygen and moisture encourage decomposition, resulting in nutrient-rich soil that nourishes plants.

Human compost is a more sustainable option than traditional burial and cremation practices. Traditional burial practices involve embalming fluids containing harmful chemicals that can seep into the soil and water supply. Conversely, cremation requires large amounts of energy to burn the body, which contributes to carbon emissions.

Human compost produces significantly less carbon emissions than traditional burial and cremation practices. Unlike cremation, human composting does not require high levels of energy use. Instead, the decomposition process occurs naturally, requiring only minimal energy input.

Human compost produces nutrient-rich soil that can be used to grow plants, trees, and other vegetation. This helps to replenish the soil and promote healthy plant growth.

The use of compost from human remains also helps prevent soil erosion. This is because compost has properties that help to retain moisture and reduce runoff, which can help prevent soil erosion.

If you are interested in using sustainable death practices like sustainable mushroom coffins and human compost, it is important to research and find a provider that offers these options in your jurisdiction. Discussing these options with your loved ones is also important so that your wishes can be honoured when the time comes.

While death is a reality for all of us, we can still make choices that positively impact the environment even after we are gone. By choosing sustainable death practices, we can make a more meaningful contribution to the planet, leaving behind a legacy of environmental consciousness and stewardship.

 

 

 

 

Source   Happy Eco News

Mushroom Surfboards; A Sustainable Alternative In Surfing

Posted on by dishanth
Mushroom Surfboards; A Sustainable Alternative In Surfing

The future is mushroom surfboards; companies like Wyve Surf, Notox Surf, and the Ecoboard Project all manufacture boards using recycled materials or eco-friendly materials to show that not only are environmentally friendly boards possible to be made, and they are, in many cases, better than conventional boards made with petrochemicals. This understanding that surfers deserve and want better than industry standard drives Steve Davies, a surfer and design student creating mushroom surfboards out of Mycelia.

Hailing from Porthcawl, Wales, Davies has known for a long time that the surf industry, for all its eco-friendly aesthetic, is lacking in manufacturing their boards. These petrochemical boards oftentimes break and are washed out to sea, releasing plastic into the oceans that inevitably make their way into flora and fauna and, ultimately, back into us.

Surfing for many demands respect and an understanding of the ocean and nature. Thus, the demand for an eco-friendly board is prominent in his market research. This is why he creates his mushroom surfboards entirely made of sustainable materials. His board is made by creating a natural mold of a surfboard, in which the mycelium can grow to create his all-natural board. The board is then coated with a natural waterproofing material; in his interview with the BBC, he is experimenting with beeswax and linseed oil.

He started collecting substrate for the mycelia, which he had access to due to living on a farm with lots of straw and horse bedding. He explained in his project journal, “This sparked an idea to start a business/surfboard manufacturer from an agricultural point of view — growing surfboards on a farm near the beach whilst using waste materials from that very same farm, reducing the transport of materials, and therefore reducing carbon released into the environment.” According to Davies, he can grow a mushroom surfboard in the right conditions in 21 days. He plans to upscale his project to commercial levels, providing an eco-friendly board that gives back to the oceans that surfers rely on instead of degrading them. This development can also be incredibly profitable, as the surfing industry is expected to expand to $3.2 billion by 2027, up from $2.2 billion in 2020.

Alternative materials are crucial to the green transition we are currently experiencing. The reliance on plastic materials has led us to create nearly everything we have out of petrochemicals. While this has been cheap and effective for us in the short-term, we will continue to see further degradation of our natural environment, which we truly rely on, if we don’t work further to make alternative materials the main way we create in our world. Apparel manufacturers are also looking to Mycelia to replace leather in their products.

Surfing, in particular, relies entirely on the oceans, and surfers are the ones who experience firsthand the amount of plastic pollution and its detrimental effects. It only makes sense to create sustainable boards for surfers, by surfers. And as the world continues to transition to a green future, sustainable surfers will potentially be poised to profit immensely from it.

 

 

 

 

Source

Turning fungi into ‘bricks’ for construction

Posted on by dishanth
Turning fungi into ‘bricks’ for construction

A house or building made of mushrooms may sound far-fetched and fragile, but do not underestimate the strength of the mycelium, a hardy component of the fungi.

Researchers in Singapore and Switzerland are now studying the use of mycelium as a sustainable building construction material.

Mycelium is the vast underground root network of fungi.

The mushroom one sees is merely the fruiting body, making up just a small part of the fungus. This means the bulk of a fungus grows underground.

In a 2019 documentary titled Fantastic Fungi, it was reported that there are 480km of mycelium under every footstep one takes in the forest.

When cultured in the lab, a mass of mycelium looks like white fluff.

Although delicate-looking, this “fluff” is being turned into “mushroom bricks” for construction as part of a research project.

The branching threads are made of substances such as chitin and cellulose that are known to be strong, said Assistant Professor Hortense Le Ferrand, a co-investigator in the project under the Future Cities Lab (FCL) Global programme.

The programme was launched late last year at the Singapore-ETH Centre – a collaborative research centre between Singapore institutions and Swiss university ETH Zurich.

The research on using mycelium for building construction is one of eight projects in the programme focusing on enhancing the sustainability of cities and human settlements.

 

Buildings and construction generate about 40 per cent of planet-warming carbon dioxide, according to the 2019 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. A quarter of the emissions came from manufacturing building materials and products such as glass, cement and steel.

Between 2016 and 2019, construction and demolition generated the largest amount of waste in Singapore – between 1.4 million and 1.6 million tonnes a year – although 99 per cent of the waste is recycled here. This is where mycelium comes in handy.

Mycelium cannot turn into an eco-friendly building block on its own. It needs plant-based waste or food waste such as sawdust, bamboo or coffee grounds as a medium.

When a fungus is grown on a bed of sawdust or corn stalks, the mycelium branches out and snakes through the fragments of waste, binding to them. It takes three to four weeks for the mycelium network to grow and bond with every fragment of waste. The mass is then cast into a mould to be shaped into a mushroom brick. Once the material has lived through its lifespan, it can be composted instead of filling up landfills.

 

Fungi is grown on a bed of sawdust and cornstalks, with the mycelium binding to the waste. After three to four weeks, the mycelium-based mass is cast into a mould to form the mushroom brick. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE LIVING

 

The mushroom brick has been around for a few years, mainly showcased in installations. Now, the researchers want to optimise the use of mycelium for building construction.

Mycelium’s growth depends on factors including the species of fungi, type of plant-based waste, temperature and humidity, said Prof Le Ferrand at a virtual presentation hosted by FCL Global earlier this month.

Different species of fungi produce mycelium with different qualities.

“Studying the amount of chitin and cellulose that fungi produce is one way to find out which species and growth conditions yield the strongest mycelium,” said Prof Le Ferrand, who is a faculty member at Nanyang Technological University’s School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Over the next five years, Prof Le Ferrand and her team will conduct studies to optimise the growth of mycelium and explore how 3D printing can be used to build a mycelium-based structure.

 

The MycoTree – a branching structure made out of load-bearing mycelium components – that was exhibited at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture from September 2017 to March 2018. PHOTO: CARLINA TETERIS

 

The project’s team in ETH Zurich is improving on the mushroom brick’s function and exploring suitable architectural applications.

Dr Juney Lee, a senior researcher at the Swiss institute and another co-investigator of the project, said at the presentation: “These alternative and sustainable materials tend to be much weaker than concrete or steel, so they require an intelligent geometry and structural shape.”

 

Mushroom Bricks

Scientists from Singapore and Switzerland have recently embarked on a five-year research project to find out how a hardy component in fungi, known as mycelium, can be used in construction. Here are some details on the process.

 

What is mycelium?

 

The fluffy white material growing inside this petri-dish of agar is called mycelium. PHOTO: EUGENE SOH, NTU

 

Mycelium is the underground root network of a mushroom, with threads that are measured in kilometres.

Under an electron microscope, mycelium threads branch out to form an intricate, interconnected web. A mass of mycelium has more networks than the number of neural pathways in a brain.

 

Why is mycelium a promising construction material?

Mycelium is rich in substances such as cellulose and chitin which are known to be mechanically strong.

It is also re-resistant, lightweight, and absorbs sound.

When a fungus or mushroom grows on plant-based waste such as sawdust or corn stalks, the fast-growing mycelium threads will bind the loose waste materials together into a mass – forming the building blocks of a “mushroom brick”.

 

How is mycelium sustainable?

 

Mycelium growing on a bed of sawdust (left) and after a week’s worth of growth. PHOTOS: EUGENE SOH, NTU

 

Mycelium is organic and biodegradable – once a structure or furniture made of mycelium and agricultural waste has ended its lifespan, the material can be composted. This means the renewable building block can return to the earth instead of taking up space in landfills.

In addition, mycelium does not need to grow on soil. It can grow within agricultural waste such as used coffee grounds, leaves and bamboo fragments, including food waste. The threads also do not need to compete for land with food crops.

 

How does mycelium work?

 

A closer look at how the fine, mycelium web (centre) binds to bamboo fibre – to form a tightly connected mass. PHOTO: EUGENE SOH, NTU

 

As a fungus grows on the waste, the mycelium net gets thicker, and acts like a natural glue to fuse the loose materials together. Mycelium secretes proteins that allow the threads to bind with the fragments.

This process takes three to four weeks of growth for the web to hold everything together.

Factors affecting mycelium growth include the size and type of agricultural waste, temperature, humidity, amount of light and water, and species of fungus.

 

How do they become bricks?

 

Finished mushroom bricks. PHOTO: DR NAZANIN SAEIDI, SEC

 

The mycelium-based mass goes into a mould to be shaped into a building block to form the bricks. The bricks will then be heated or baked to stop the mycelium from continuing to grow.

 

How are mycelium bricks used?

Building materials made of mycelium or other sustainable materials are much weaker than conventional concrete or steel. Mushroom bricks are weak in tension. Therefore, structures made of mycelium-based blocks need intelligent, structural shapes to make them stable.

 

“Mushroom bricks” (background) made from mycelium and hemp, and after they have been hot-pressed into slabs (foreground). PHOTO: SELINA BITTING

 

Mushroom bricks can be put through a process of compressing to increase their density and their compressive strength.

Mycelium-based materials can also be used as floor tiles and acoustic panels.

  • Sources: Asst prof Hortense Le Ferrand, Dr Juney Lee, World-Archi Tects

 

 

Source The Straits Times