Mythic - Myterials for Thermal Insulation in Construction

Mythic – MYterials for THermal Insulation in Construction was a research project led by MNEXT, a Center of
Expertise within Avans Hogeschool, along with partners spanning from industrial to educational institutions
with the shared goal of developing the optimal mycelium biocomposite (MBC) to be applied as a biodegradable
insulation material for the construction sector. These materials utilize local agricultural residual waste as the
biobased substrate bound by the mycelium, which is the 'underground' fungal network. MBCs are promising
alternatives to traditional fossil-based insulation materials; however, further research regarding thermal
insulation and moisture absorption was necessary to verify its technical feasibility.
The results from the project elucidated the following: i) ideal growing conditions to fabricate the biocomposites,
ii) the material properties and how they compare to conventional insulation materials, iii) the versatility and
social acceptance of MBC components, and iv) the economical valuation and scalability of MBC production.
The project tasks completely answered the initial research question and determined a standardized protocol
for the procedure of growing and sterilizing mycelium, the type of spawn, and introduced the possibility of using
cellulose inoculum, which is something that has not been researched extensively before. Additionally, MBCs
were determined to be technically feasible as insulation, and the biocomposites performed within the B-D fire
resistance scale. However, these materials are not yet economically feasible and require upscaling of
production to reach this point. Along with expanding upon the MBC research line, a broad consortium and
network was built to accelerate the dissemination of the gained knowledge and acceptance of MBCs into the
building industry

Climate change and the depletion of resources in the world are widely recognized as the greatest societal challenges. The building sector is responsible for 40% of the raw material consumption globally. The emissions related to construction materials are anticipated to double by 2050, if no new technologies are adopted (EC, 2021). Based on the environmental cost indicator, isolation has the second largest (after concrete) impact to the environment.

In Mythic - Myterials for THermal Insulation in Construction goal is to develop (in co-creation with the work field) the best available mycelium biocomposite, which can be used as a circular, biodegradable insulation material for construction in the building sector. In recent research projects partners concluded that Mycelium biocomposites have a high potential to replace traditional fossil-based isolation materials, but further research on the thermal insulation and moisture absorption is needed to convince the construction market.

In the project various partners will cooperate, both from the production side of mycelium composites, as well as from the application side. Some partners originate from previous projects, but others contacted Centre of Expertise for the Biobased Economy (CoEBBE) to build further on the existing network. There are several SME’s from the Netherlands, but also from abroad (Nylausn from Iceland, Mogu Srl from Italy and Corstyrene form France), as well as Branche organizations and knowledge institutes. Avans works together with HZ in CoEBBE and for the microbiological knowledge we cooperate with the University of Utrecht. For the market research CoEBBE cooperates with the lectorate New Marketing within Avans, focussing on sustainability via biomimicry. Mycelium composites and natural products for the building industry is the theme that binds all partners.