The production process and compressive strength of Mycelium-based materials

In the transition towards a world in dynamic equilibrium with its natural resources, oil and all oil based products must be replaced by more renewable alternatives.
Mycelium-based materials are renewable and can replace fossil-based plastics. A mycelium-based material is a composite consisting of a natural reinforcement or filler, such as hemp fibers, and the mycelium of a fungus, see Fig. 1. A mycelium is a dense network of thin strands, called hyphae that grow and fuse together into a continuous material. The mycelium acts as a matrix that binds the natural substrate into a lightweight material. This paper aims to provide an insight into the production methods of mycelium-based materials and an indication of the structural performance of such materials. The stress at 10% deformation of the best mycelium-composite was found to be between 24 and 93 kPa.