Water-resistent Mycelium composites

Mycelium composites are a promising new class of sustainable and circular building materials. These composites consist of lignocellulosic fibres that are colonized by mycelium (root network) of fungi. The fungal network functions as a natural glue for the fibres, resulting in foam-like materials with thermo-insulating properties. After heat-pressing, these materials show characteristics similar to particle board (Appel, 2019).

However, one of the issues with these materials is their low wet strength, and their overall moisture sensitivity. For Fairm, a start-up company in mycelium composites, this is a limiting factor in their way to the market, hence they approached Avans Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy with the request to collaborate in research to make mycelium more water-resistant.

One of the promising routes to address the Fairm’s request is acetylation, which is a proven technology for improving the water-resistance and durability of wood. Accsys, is a leading manufacturer of durable and sustainable wood products via an acetylation process, Therefore, Accsys was invited to join in the consortium to provide advice in acetylation and industrial views on manufacturing. They are interested on sustainable material innovation and the mycelium products can be interesting addition to their product lines. Forest Living, a company developing modular homes based on constructive insulation panels complements the consortium with their expertise on the new sustainable building technology. Their wish is to replace the currently used panels based on fossil based materials, with sustainable materials such as mycelium composites. Forest living will participate in the evaluation of the developed products for building applications

In this project the partners combine their know-how on production of mycelium composites, acetylation and the use of the materials with the aim to create an improved mycelium composite, as a sustainable, innovative building material, suitable for insulation and for non-constructive interior uses.