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Sustainable Pultruded Sandwich Profiles with Mycelium Core

Summary

Researchers developed a new eco-friendly material using mycelium (fungal networks) as the core in lightweight composite structures used for manufacturing. This mycelium-based approach offers a sustainable alternative to traditional foam and wood cores, with comparable mechanical performance. The manufacturing process produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions when using electric heating instead of oil heating, making it a promising option for industries seeking environmentally responsible materials.

Background

Mycelium-based materials offer sustainable alternatives to fossil-based core materials in composite manufacturing. Pultrusion is an efficient continuous manufacturing process for fiber-reinforced composites that can incorporate sandwich structures to improve mechanical properties and reduce weight.

Objective

This study evaluates the potential of mycelium as a sustainable core material in pultruded glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) sandwich profiles by assessing mechanical performance and environmental sustainability through comparative analysis with polyurethane foam and chipboard cores.

Results

Mycelium sandwich profiles demonstrated competitive mechanical performance compared to PUR foam and chipboard. LCA results showed that 88% of greenhouse gas emissions come from mycelium production, primarily heat pressing. Using electrically heated presses reduced global warming potential (GWP) to 1.50-1.78 kg CO₂-eq, achieving 23% lower emissions than PUR foam references.

Conclusion

Mycelium shows promise as a sustainable sandwich core material with competitive performance characteristics. Further optimization of manufacturing processes, particularly in-situ deactivation during pultrusion and improved homogeneity, could enhance mechanical properties and reduce environmental impact to accelerate industrial-scale implementation.
  • Published in:Polymers (Basel),
  • Study Type:Experimental Research with Life Cycle Assessment,
  • Source: PMID: 37571099
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