Greensulate: hyphae insulation

[Bo Atkinson]

I was glad to see a few, friendly Bioneer posts on the mushroom subjects... Here is one more, which i hope can spark some discussion-- I found this independent thread some time ago, got swamped with other work but am now very interested in trying some experimentation--

http://www.greendiary.com/entry/greensulate-a-green-alternative-to-...

http://topcultured.com/design/ive-seen-the-future-and-its-made-of-m...

I am planning to build a "papercrete" wall this summer. I've been saving up a lot of waste- cardboard and paper. Question: Why not somehow incorporate mycelia? (Mushroom fibers or filaments)... The above articles suggest "killing" the growth, once the insulation has formed. I agree with the logic that mycelia might be a wonderful insulation material. That future rotting is not a condemning issue, in as much as most building materials can degrade given wrong conditions like leaks or UV exposure, etc...

Any further insights would be much appreciated.

Bo Atkinson

[Julie]

thanks, bo. good luck out there. please keep us posted on you experimentation...

[Edmund Williams]

Wow, that is really innovative. As an engineer, I'd be very interested in the properties. Mushroom mycelium has cell walls like plants, but instead of being made of cellulose, they are made of chitin, the same stuff that makes up crab shells. Having grown a number of mushrooms I can see the finished material being compared to styrofoam. Have you given thought to what kind of mushroom mycelium you want to use? I remember getting one kit that was really hard to pull apart. I wish I remembered what kind it was... You'd certainly want something that is tough and resists rot. Polypores, like reishi and turkey tail, might be a good choice as they tend to be more woody and rot slower. Mushrooms aren't very good at differentiating their tissue, so the properties of the mushroom tend to reflect the mycelial mat's properties.

Cardboard is a favorite of mycelium as the corrugations give the mycelium an ideal path to run. However, it might be difficult to get the density of material you are going for. I'd say try a stack of cardboard and a stack of paper and test it for R value, density, and stiffness. Sounds like fun! Let us know how it goes.