Development of fungal biocomposites for construction applications
Authors:
- K. Brudny,
- M. Łach,
- B. Kozub,
- K. Korniejenko
Abstract
In an era of increasing climate demands, there is a growing demand for construction materials with a smaller carbon footprint. Implementing the idea of a circular economy is one way to reduce carbon emissions and, at the same time, the consumption of natural resources. Materials that respond to the needs of this model include mycelial biocomposites and geopolymers. Mycelium materials represent a new class of environmentally friendly materials that can grow on low-cost organic waste while achieving satisfactory thermal or acoustic insulation properties. Geopolymers are a class of synthetic inorganic aluminosilicate materials, usually formed by reacting aluminosilicates (such as fly ash or metakaolin) with a silicate solution under strongly alkaline or acidic conditions. It has been estimated that its synthesis emits about 5-6 times less carbon dioxide than the production of Portland cement. The aim of this study is to grow a biocomposite of mycelium on flax tows and then use it as a reinforcement with a geopolymer matrix. To achieve this, three species of mycelium were selected, a culture process was carried out, and then samples of the composite were synthesized with a geopolymer matrix. To determine the utility in terms of structural applications, the density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of the samples were tested. Scanning electron microscope images were also taken to observe the microstructure. The results indicate that it is possible to produce a mycelium composite with a geopolymer matrix. For all samples, a lower density was achieved than for the geopolymer without reinforcement. The coefficient of thermal conductivity was reduced only for the sample with one of the mycelia. The compressive strength for biocomposites was between 12.1-14.2 MPa, this value is enough for some engineering applications. In future research, it is suggested to optimize cultivation conditions to increase the degree of inoculation with mycelium and to perform further studies to determine the reaction of the material to external conditions.
- Record ID
- CUT236ffb00419740ac8a9e394fbcd270cc
- Publication categories
- ; ;
- Author
- Pages
- 95
- Book
- ACEX2023 : 16th International Conference on Advanced Computational Engineering and Experimenting, 3-7 July 2023, Heraklion, Crete (Greece) : abstract book, 2023, Crete, ICC - International Conferences and Courses Limited
- Keywords in English
- mycelial biocomposite, fungal biocomposite, geopolymer; construction application, composite structure
- Related project
- Pianki geopolimerowe o niskiej przewodności cieplnej wytwarzane na bazie odpadów przemysłowych jako innowacyjny materiał dla gospodarki o obiegu zamkniętym. . Project leader at PK: , ,
Projects financed by NCRD [Projekty finansowane przez NCBiR (NCBR (] - Language
- eng (en) English
- Score (nominal)
- 0
- Publication indicators
- = 0
- Uniform Resource Identifier
- https://cris.pk.edu.pl/info/article/CUT236ffb00419740ac8a9e394fbcd270cc/
- URN
urn:pkr-prod:CUT236ffb00419740ac8a9e394fbcd270cc
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