Assessing the Conformity of Mycelium Biocomposites for Ecological Insulation Solutions
Irbe, I.; Kirpluks, M.; Kampuss, M.; Andze, L.; Milbreta, U.; Filipova, I.
What is it about?
Insulation boards of Trametes versicolor on hemp shives, birch sawdust, waste paper fibres and birch sanding dust (three variants each, partly with wheat bran, birch bark or a co-substrate). Density, bending strength (EN 12089), thermal conductivity (ISO 8301) and reaction to fire in the cone calorimeter (35 kW/m²) were tested. Hemp gave λ ≈ 40 mW/(m·K); all variants had a much lower peak heat release than EPS/XPS; birch bark worsened fire behaviour.
Experiments from this publication (12)
| Experiment | Fungus | Substrate mix | Density [kg/m³] | Measurements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch sanding dust + Bran · T. versicolor (S1) | Trametes versicolor | 92.59 % Birch sanding dust · ≤ 1 mm · AS “Latvijas Finieris” (plywood manufacturer), Riga (LV) 7.41 % Wheat bran |
190 | 9 |
| Birch sawdust + Birch sanding dust + Bran · T. versicolor (S3) | Trametes versicolor | 46.3 % Birch sawdust · mostly ≤ 3 mm 46.3 % Birch sanding dust · ≤ 1 mm · AS “Latvijas Finieris” (plywood manufacturer), Riga (LV) 7.41 % Wheat bran |
220 | 9 |
| Birch sawdust + Bran + Birch bark · T. versicolor (D2) | Trametes versicolor | 64.81 % Birch sawdust · mostly ≤ 3 mm 27.78 % Birch bark · AS “Latvijas Finieris” (plywood manufacturer), Riga (LV) 7.41 % Wheat bran |
220 | 9 |
| Birch sawdust + Bran · T. versicolor (D1) | Trametes versicolor | 92.59 % Birch sawdust · mostly ≤ 3 mm 7.41 % Wheat bran |
210 | 9 |
| Birch sawdust + Waste paper fibres + Bran · T. versicolor (M3) | Trametes versicolor | 46.3 % Birch sawdust · mostly ≤ 3 mm 46.3 % Waste paper fibres (recycled pulp) · mean fibre length 1.1 mm, mean width 25 µm · SIA “V.L.T.” (moulded fibre products), Latvia 7.41 % Wheat bran |
230 | 9 |
| Birch sawdust · T. versicolor (D3) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Birch sawdust · mostly ≤ 3 mm | 6 | |
| Hemp + Birch sanding dust + Bran · T. versicolor (S2) | Trametes versicolor | 46.3 % Hemp shives · mostly 3–5 mm 46.3 % Birch sanding dust · ≤ 1 mm · AS “Latvijas Finieris” (plywood manufacturer), Riga (LV) 7.41 % Wheat bran |
140 | 9 |
| Hemp + Bran + Birch bark · T. versicolor (C2) | Trametes versicolor | 64.81 % Hemp shives · mostly 3–5 mm 27.78 % Birch bark · AS “Latvijas Finieris” (plywood manufacturer), Riga (LV) 7.41 % Wheat bran |
140 | 9 |
| Hemp + Bran · T. versicolor (C1) | Trametes versicolor | 92.59 % Hemp shives · mostly 3–5 mm 7.41 % Wheat bran |
100 | 9 |
| Hemp + Waste paper fibres + Bran · T. versicolor (M2) | Trametes versicolor | 46.3 % Hemp shives · mostly 3–5 mm 46.3 % Waste paper fibres (recycled pulp) · mean fibre length 1.1 mm, mean width 25 µm · SIA “V.L.T.” (moulded fibre products), Latvia 7.41 % Wheat bran |
160 | 9 |
| Hemp · T. versicolor (C3) | Trametes versicolor | 100 % Hemp shives · mostly 3–5 mm | 90 | 9 |
| Waste paper fibres + Bran · T. versicolor (M1) | Trametes versicolor | 92.59 % Waste paper fibres (recycled pulp) · mean fibre length 1.1 mm, mean width 25 µm · SIA “V.L.T.” (moulded fibre products), Latvia 7.41 % Wheat bran |
320 | 9 |
Notes on data extraction
Taken from Table 2 (n = 5) and Table 3 (n = 4). Density converted from g/cm³ to kg/m³. Thermal conductivity per variant only in Fig. 6 – group values from the text are in the experiment notes. Comparison values in the paper (literature): XPS TTI 5 s / pHRR 423 kW/m²; EPS TTI 29 s / pHRR 377 kW/m².