TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

The Fungus Among Us

Michael Steinhart | Date: 03-04-10 | Comments

Several mushroom farms are working on ways to take the cheaply grown, organic material beyond the kitchen.

Most people think of mushrooms as a tasty salad ingredient or pizza topping, but several farmers and engineers are finding that they�re equally suitable for replacing Styrofoam in packaging material, replacing fiberglass and foam for insulation, and replacing concrete for buildings.

Mycelium fibers are proving strong, fire-proof and waterproof.

Essentially, mushroom farmers are devising clever ways to mold the fibrous cells�called mycelium�from which certain strains of mushrooms blossom, into various shapes.

Last week, Time magazine ran a feature on Far West Fungi, a California farm that is experimenting with molding mycelium into cinder block-like shapes. From the article:

"Mycelium doesn't taste very good, but once it's dried, it has some remarkable properties. It's nontoxic, fireproof and mold- and water-resistant, and it traps more heat than fiberglass insulation. It's also stronger, pound for pound, than concrete."

A young engineer named Eben Bayer is also garnering significant acclaim (and research grants) for his work with mycelium. "We see this as a whole new material, a woodlike equivalent to plastic," he said in a recent interview. His 3-year-old startup, Ecovative Design, has been awarded grants from the EPA, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His mycelium colonies feed on flour, water, and even the seed husks of rice and cotton, making the whole operation extremely sustainable.

The company's products include Ecocradle, an alternative to Styrofoam units for packaging, and Greensulate, which delivers the equivalent heat retention per inch as conventional foam insulation.

The advantage of using mycelium-based materials is that they biodegrade completely and can actually be used as mulch to help improve garden yields.

In fact, a 2005 book titled �Mycelium Running� asserts that mycelium can actually rehabilitate soil that�s been polluted with chemicals like chlorinated hydrocarbons. Author Paul Stamets found that soil contaminated with diesel oil was rendered non-toxic within eight weeks by oyster mushroom mycelia.

This process is gaining popularity in the bioremediation industry�which is best known for cleaning up oil spills with bacterial agents.

Bacteria and fungi�natural promoters of biodegradation�don�t work on heavy metals, though. For that, bioremediation companies use plants that can absorb metal toxicity from soil, in a process called phytoremediation. The plants accumulate the toxins in their stems and leaves, which are then harvested and disposed of safely. The soil is then rendered safe for future crops, and the toxins are prevented from leaching into groundwater.

Getting back to the mushrooms, we�re impressed with the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that goes into researching and producing wholly organic, cheap-to-grow and easy-to-recycle materials. Green products and companies are growing in popularity now that the economy may be rebounding (witness the recent ad campaign promoting SunChips and their compostable packaging), and consumers may be willing to pay a slight premium for eco-friendly goods, especially when they�re just as good (if not better) than their conventional counterparts.

Would you pay a little extra for home products that are greener and more sustainable? Add your comments here!