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Assessing the Conformity of Mycelium Biocomposites for Ecological Insulation Solutions

Summary

Researchers developed insulation materials made from mushroom mycelium combined with agricultural and industrial waste products. These eco-friendly composites perform comparably to conventional synthetic insulation in terms of thermal properties and actually outperform them in fire safety. The materials are fully biodegradable and require fewer fossil fuels to produce, making them an attractive sustainable alternative for building construction.

Background

Conventional insulation materials like fiberglass, mineral wool, and polystyrene have significant environmental concerns due to non-renewable resources, high embodied energy, and harmful chemical emissions. Mycelium biocomposites (MBs) represent a sustainable alternative, being fully biodegradable and requiring less fossil energy than traditional insulation materials.

Objective

To evaluate mycelium biocomposites as potential insulation materials for building applications by assessing their physicomechanical properties, thermal conductivity, and fire behavior using different substrate combinations from agricultural, wood processing, and paper waste industries.

Results

Hemp-based composites achieved the lowest thermal conductivity (40 m·W·m−1·K−1), competitive with EPS and XPS. Waste fiber composites showed highest bending strength (0.45 MPa), competitive with synthetic polymers. All MB variants demonstrated superior fire resistance with lower peak heat release rates (134-243 k·W·m−2) and total smoke release compared to synthetic foams.

Conclusion

Mycelium biocomposites exhibit mechanical, thermal, and fire properties suitable for sustainable building insulation applications, with performance competitive to or exceeding petroleum-based synthetic materials while offering environmental advantages through biodegradability and use of waste feedstocks.
  • Published in:Materials (Basel),
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: 10.3390/ma17246111, PMC11677991, PMID: 39769711
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