Fungus - The plastic of The Future?

 

Plastic was first invented in 1855. In the past 70 years, we humans have refined its use, so much so that today around 380 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide each year. But not everyone was following the crowd, in 2006 a small company in New York came up with a possible alternative to plastic that was both sustainable and eco-friendly. 

 What is Mycelium Fungus?

Mycelium Technology was first introduced by ‘Ecovative Designs’ in 2006. Mycelium is a multicellular fungus that produces a branched network of fine, white filaments that grow underneath the ground. It may sometimes develop into visible structures like mushrooms. Think of it as the root structure of a mushroom. 

Mycelium growing in a petri dish on coffee grounds

This mycelium can be used to create different structures by providing it a framework in a controlled environment. The cells are grown to create intricate 3D structures that form materials like a brick or a piece of packaging or even a whole building!

The process is quite simple. Mycelium is added to composite waste collected from farms and poured into the desired molds. A brick takes approximately 5 days to grow completely inside the mold and become stable. After drying it can be used as a sturdy, water and fire-resistant building material.

 

Applications of Mycelium technology.

                       Mycelium bricks

Mycelium is fast-growing, heat resistant, insulating, and very strong. It has already replaced packaging plastic for the good. Unlike Styrofoam, mycelium decomposes in the soil within 45 days thereby leaving lesser of a carbon footprint. It is furthermore also used for construction, food, clothing. Mushroom-based leather and footwear can also be found in the market these days. Mycelium insulation panels outperform many petrochemical and plastic-based construction materials.

Construction of ‘Hi-fi’ The Organic mushroom brick tower in New York

The question naturally arises, if this technology was invented in 2006 then why don’t we see Mycelium buildings everywhere. Well, while mushroom bricks can compete with normal bricks and cement they aren't necessarily better, they have a shorter life span, and cannot withstand as much pressure. Mycelium foam is not as widely known or produced as Styrofoam or other plastic packaging.

Companies like Ikea, Dell and Crate & Barrel have already started using mushroom packaging in hopes of reducing the waste and toxins generated by polystyrene. Polystyrene is made from oil and is a high energy-consuming process, in contrast, Mycelium is completely biodegradable and only uses 12% of energy from plastic production.

                                                                       Plastic pollution                                                                                           

Over the years, plastic has slowly accumulated over land and water. It is estimated that over 8.8 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. As of 2020, the global mass of produced plastic exceeds the biomass of all land and marine animals combined. By using Mycelium products we are one step closer to fostering a healthier environment.

 Mushroom technology still requires extensive research and development but we hope that in the future it can become an important conventional technology.

 Credits & References: Shalmalee Mahajan (Team Tech Tuesday)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pollution#:~:text=Zealand%2C%20etc.)-,Total%20plastic%20waste%20polluters,the%20following%20top%205%20countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic#History

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cApVVuuqLFY

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