Composite material made of wood and mycelium. O2-neutral technology
Researchers from the University of Kassel in Germany have developed a technology to create composite materials based on wood and mycelium for carbon neutral and environmentally friendly interior elements of office buildings. This method is aimed at modernizing existing spaces with the principles of circular economy in mind.
Mycelium, which is the root system of mushrooms, has the unique ability to grow in various forms. The material is similar to polystyrene in properties, but is biodegradable and reproduced using plant waste such as coffee grounds or crop residues. Today, mycelium finds applications in the production of packaging, insulation and acoustic materials. However, without reinforcement, such composites have low load-bearing capacity.
To address this problem, a team of scientists has developed an automated glueless manufacturing process that utilizes local maple wood to create 3D lattice structures. The wood acts as a framework and reinforcement, providing the necessary strength for the composite. The resulting materials underwent a series of tests to confirm their mechanical and acoustic properties, as well as their applicability at the architectural scale.
The use of computer modeling techniques allowed the study of the static characteristics of the materials and the creation of new value chains to realize the principles of circular economy. A detailed life-cycle analysis of one of the demonstration samples showed that the proposed process is more sustainable compared to traditional commercial partitioning solutions.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Kassel (Prof. Eversmann), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Prof. Hebel) and ARUP (Dr. Jan Wurm). This interdisciplinary team has combined expertise in additive manufacturing, biomaterials and integrated design to achieve the goals.
The next phase of the project, called HOME 2.0, is planned for 2023-2025, which will continue the development of technologies for the use of mycelium composites in construction.
The strategies developed in the research offer great potential for creating sustainable and scalable architectural elements, which confirms the potential of mycelium composites as a promising building material of the future.
