Fungi-based insulation boards that absorb CO2 developed

The mushroom-based material. PIC COURTESY/Hof University

Researchers in Germany have created a mushroom-based insulation material that could offer a greener, compostable alternative to synthetic building materials and even capture carbon along the way.

Conducted by the Institute for Circular Economy of Bio: Polymers (ibp) at the Hof University of Applied Sciences in Germany, the project, dubbed Mycobuild, aims to build mushroom mycelium boards from lab-scale to industrial production by 2026.

Contrary to conventional insulation materials, which often consist of synthetic or mineral materials produced with high energy-intensive consumption and a poor environmental balance, the new panels are grown using fungal networks.

"Mushroom meshes are compostable, store CO2 and require less energy to produce than conventional fossil-based insulating materials," project leader Professor Robert Honke stated. "They can also be shaped flexibly and are industrially scalable."

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