Can Mycelium Fungus replace Concrete & Plastic?

One promising solution to plastic pollution is mycelium or mushroom packaging. It is made of 2 ingredients: mushrooms and hemp. Mycelium is the underground network of very durable, thread-like filaments called hyphae. It is mixed with agricultural waste like wood chips, oat hulls, cotton burrs or hemp hurds.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:00 How its made
2:43 Products
4:32 Advantages
5:30 Disadvantages
6:19 Myths
7:12 Conclusion

One of the largest mushroom packaging manufacturers in the world is Ecovative Design, a New York based biotech company founded in 2006. They sent me these samples of their product. Their manufacturing process is pretty straight forward.

Their designers create a 3D CAD model of custom packaging
A CNC machine routes the design into MDF.
Plastic trays are thermoformed around the MDF pieces.
The tray is filled with their proprietary hemp hurd and mycelium blend.
It is allowed to grow for 4 days in a controlled environment with regulated temperatures, airflow, CO2 and humidity levels.
It is popped out of tray and allowed to continue growing for 2 more days to create a velvety layer of overgrowth
The packaging is then heat treated to dry out, kill spores and stop the growth process

This material can last for 30 years in dry, temperature controlled indoor environments. It is also 100% biodegradable and a nutrient for soils and plants. When broken down into 1 cubic centimeter pieces, it will compost in just 45 days. In the ocean, it will compost in 180 days.

In 2014, a 40 ft or 12 meter high tower was built in New York by The Living, an architectural design studio, Ecovative and Arup. 10,000 bricks made of mycelium and corn stalks were stacked to form 3 interwoven chimneys.

In 2019, a drum-shaped temporary pavilion was designed in the Netherlands. It was composed of a timber frame, actively growing mushroom wall panels and seating made of agricultural waste.

Biohm, a UK based startup, has developed a mycelium insulation panel that outperforms traditional insulation like rockwool and fiberglass in terms of thermal capacity, fire resistance and acoustic performance.

ADVANTAGES
Mushroom packaging and other mycelium based products are non-toxic and free of VOCs and formaldehydes. This product consumes a tenth of the energy of foam, and emits an eighth of the amount of greenhouse gases. It is Cradle to Cradle Gold certified. It is an excellent example of a sustainable, circular economy product. It is quite spongy so it can protect fragile materials just as well as petroleum-based foam. Ecovative claims that it is a cost, time and performance competitive solution to plastic packaging.

Mushroom Packaging is naturally hydrophobic or water resistant. Water droplets roll right off and do not soak through. This makes it an ideal material for packing cold items and ice packs that can melt. However, prolonged exposure to moisture and high humidity will lead to mold. Due to the inherent properties of mycelium, this material is a class A fire retardant and has a very low flame spread of 20.

DISADVANTAGES
It is not very strong. It has a compressive strength of just 18 psi so it cannot be used as a structural material. It also has a short lifespan of 20 to 30 years. It can’t be used as food storage containers, so it won’t replace styrofoam right now. Since it is such a new technology, the few companies that produce these have patented the production process which is a barrier to entry. The super low cost of plastic production is unfortunately a huge deterrent to the future of this technology. Plastic also offers a lot of advantages like long term water resistance and a long lifespan.

The plastic industry has been complacent for too long and has avoided setting up an extensive recycling network. I hope competition will force them to be more responsible.
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#mycelium #mushroom #plasticpollution #plastic #livingbuilding

[SamIAm]

I don't think it will replace plastic in all instances, but it would be cool to see it in a number of "non-food" usages.

[branni]

Anything that helps erase plastics is never a bad idea. Thanks for sharing this.

[HappySqrl]

I personally see value in this product for the protective packaging of small, "expensive" products like cell-phones. Outside of that the focus should be on reducing packaging rather than changing the materials for those packages.

When it comes to building materials, I'm personally more interested in finding/creating materials that enable the same basic construction techniques but are higher-quality or more sustainable. Taking something like a TStud and making it using hemp fibers (or something else) is likely to be adopted far faster than some radical new construction material.

[NW-Commuter]

“Sorry, some architects really piss me off.”
I love your honesty!
I also greatly appreciate that you present pros and cons, and real world applications — instead of just restating the hype.

[wonderwhat]

I came on you tube because I have this growing in my mulch in the garden and making a hard layer on the soil. I wanted to find out what it was and if it was harmful to my plants. Your video enlightened me as to what this was and that it's not harmful to my landscape. Thanks for your video and concern about the world we live in. 🙂

[ichbinso]

very interesting! I don't think there will be one product that can replace all plastic uses - this does not seem great for buildings but great for packaging.

[mantra]

"this is why architects are made fun of" made me laugh, because it's true!

[AllenManor]

7:12 is a fantastic moment in this video. I really admire your willingness to question and critique the most arrogant and reality-detached professionals on the planet: Architects.

[SomeRandomWittyName]

A nice well rounded review. I love how you go straight to the point and condense the information to the key aspects of the topic. Also good job on not overhyping it and discussing both advantages and disadvantages of the technology

[RavenMeer]

I really appreciate your balanced reporting on mycelium. Everything else I have watched has only touted the positives. Thank you.

[theresamprice]

More of this please Belinda... This is outstanding!!

[hankrearden]

Belinda must be an engineer. Only engineers and architects have this much animosity towards one another.

[markxxx]

I love this lady, she should have a millions subs.

[williansnobre]

Very interesting. I don't think it could be used for permanent building material but for temporary buildings and packaging this sounds like a good alternative.

[LukeLane]

Another informative, unbiased, clearheaded video! Thanks!

[macmac]

6:48 Old, derelict homes are famously free of contaminants and hazards like rust, mold, and asbestos, so this sounds like a super safe and easy-to-do job for the people doing the tear-down.

[DeanTheDoctor]

Mushrooms and hemp? You just said the magic words. 😊🌎🌄

[littlepotato]

I really think things like this can have a strong positive effect in the world. Mushrooms are amazing. If I remember correctly, someone even found a mushroom that adapted to eat oil? I can't remember, but it was quite interesting to help clean up oil spills. I think saying that it can save the world is a bit dramatic, but that what article headlines like to do these days.

[stevem]

An excellent overview of the subject. Thank you for your research and clarity.

[PinAViolet]

Amazing and thorough video yet again. Keep up the great work!