Laboratorial measurements of mycelium based straw insulation composite: Initial results

According to the set of the expected outcomes from building sector elaborated during the latest COP26 summit, 100% of new buildings must be net-zero carbon in operation by 2030 and embodied carbon must be reduced by at least 40%, while by 2050 all new and existing assets must be net zero across the whole life cycle. In this regard, the basic challenge is the development, and integration in a building practice, new eco-friendly materials with a minimal environmental impact from raw source extraction to recycling of the final product after building demolition. Straw as a sort of agriculture waste is currently widely available in the EU market and has a significant potential to be implemented in sustainable design solutions in constructions. A new form of low-energy biological production and waste recycling is the vegetative growth of fibrous fungi (mycelium). Mycelium materials have several basic advantages over the traditional synthetic materials, including their low cost, density, and energy consumption as well as their biodegradability and low environmental impact. In the presented paper the composition of mycelium based straw insulation has been developed and tested in laboratory conditions. The principal physical and technical properties have been studied and analyzed in the context of its application in the construction industry. The process of samples producing is described in detail and adapted with the perspective of its industrialization.