Mechanical, physical and chemical characterisation of mycelium-based composites with different types of lignocellulosic substrates
Elsacker, E.; Vandelook, S.; Brancart, J.; Peeters, E.; De Laet, L.
What is it about?
Trametes versicolor was grown on five fibre types (hemp, flax, flax waste, pine, wheat straw) in different processing states (loose, chopped, dust, pre-compressed, tow). The study measured dry density, shrinkage, compressive modulus, thermal conductivity, capillary water absorption and FTIR. Fibre processing affected stiffness more than fibre type; chopped hemp reached λ = 0.0404 W/(m·K).
Experiments from this publication (12)
| Experiment | Fungus | Substrate mix | Density [kg/m³] | Measurements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flax tow, treated · T. versicolor (FTT) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax tow, treated (spinning grade) · fibre length approx. 100 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 187 | 2 |
| Flax tow, untreated · T. versicolor (FUT) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax tow, untreated · fibre length approx. 100 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 132 | 2 |
| Flax waste, loose · T. versicolor (FWL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax waste, loose · 5–25 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 97 | 2 |
| Flax waste, loose, pre-compressed · T. versicolor (PFWL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax waste, loose · 5–25 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 160 | 2 |
| Flax, chopped · T. versicolor (FC) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax hurds, chopped · ≤ 5 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 66 | 5 |
| Flax, loose · T. versicolor (FL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax hurds, loose · 5–25 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 60 | 2 |
| Flax, loose, pre-compressed · T. versicolor (PFL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Flax hurds, loose · 5–25 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 69 | 2 |
| Hemp, chopped · T. versicolor (HC) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Hemp hurds, chopped · ≤ 5 mm · Aniserco S.A., Groot-Bijgaarden (BE) | 97 | 5 |
| Hemp, loose · T. versicolor (HL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Hemp hurds, loose · 5–25 mm · Aniserco S.A., Groot-Bijgaarden (BE) | 89 | 2 |
| Hemp, loose, pre-compressed · T. versicolor (PHL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Hemp hurds, loose · 5–25 mm · Aniserco S.A., Groot-Bijgaarden (BE) | 72 | 2 |
| Pine shavings, loose · T. versicolor (WL) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Pine shavings · 5–25 mm · Aniserco S.A., Groot-Bijgaarden (BE) | 87 | 2 |
| Wheat straw, chopped · T. versicolor (SC) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Wheat straw, chopped · ≤ 5 mm · Jopack bvba, Rumbeke (BE) | 94 | 4 |
Notes on data extraction
Taken from Table 2 (density, moisture, shrinkage), Table 3 (λ), Table 4 (water absorption) and the text (compressive moduli). Not included: flax dust (FD), loose straw (SL) and straw dust (SD) – insufficient growth or contamination; FTIR results are qualitative only.