The root network of mushrooms shows great potential as insulation material
Mycelium, the underground root network of mushrooms, exhibits excellent insulation properties in terms of thermal conductivity and soundproofing. This is confirmed by new research from the Environmental Sciences Centre at UHasselt. "In some areas, certain mycelium-based materials we produced in our lab even performed just as well as PUR, the well-known insulation material commonly used in construction," says Prof. Dr. François Rineau. So, will we soon be insulating our homes with mushrooms? "It's still too early for that, but these materials hold a lot of potential."
Insulation material
"Mycelium and mushrooms can be compared to an apple tree, where the mycelium is the tree that passes on nutrients, enabling the apples—or in this case, the mushrooms—to grow," explains François Rineau. "Mycelium consists of a vast network of long, thin threads and has a somewhat fungal appearance. It can grow on soil, dead wood, dead leaves, and dead insects. In our lab, we let it grow on various substrates to create different types of mycomaterials. We then test these materials across various aspects."
Comparable to PUR
For this new research, the results of which were published in the scientific journal Materials, the researchers used mycelium from mushrooms found in the natural areas of Diepenbeek and the Ardennes. They allowed it to grow on hemp-based substrates to create mycomaterials that could serve as insulation. All these materials were then tested for their thermal and acoustic insulation properties and compared with current materials commonly used in the construction sector. "Three of the nine mycomaterials achieved remarkably better thermal insulation scores than XPS (extruded polystyrene), a type of plastic foam, and the mycomaterials even reached the same theoretical values as PUR, which is currently considered the best material for thermal insulation on the market," says student Joris Verhelst, who contributed to the project.
Moulds
According to the researchers, this shows that mycelium certainly has potential as an insulation material in construction. "So far, the construction sector hasn't explored mycomaterials, mainly because most of these materials tend to develop mould. That's why we also investigated the water resistance of our mycomaterials, and the results are promising. Some of the mycomaterials were naturally resistant to mould, and we were able to make them mould-resistant by exposing them to mould during the production process. We're now testing the long-term mould resistance of these materials. So, it will still take some time before mushroom-based insulation becomes widespread in building applications, but we're making significant strides toward that goal."
Additionally, the Environmental Sciences Centre, in collaboration with researchers from UHasselt's Faculty of Architecture and Arts, is exploring how mycomaterials could be used for acoustic panels and interior architecture.
The full publication in Materials can be found here:
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/24/6050
