Harm-Free Construction: Mycelium Bricks and a Sustainable Future

What is Mycelium? What are Mycelium Bricks?

What is Mycelium?

Mycelium is the root structure of fungi, consisting of fine thread like filaments called hyphae, which grow within organic materials. It is collected from soil near bamboo roots by fermenting rice underground for five days, then mixed with sugarcane molasses to create a biological serum for fungal cultivation.

Structurally, mycelium contains chitin, a biological polymer with high tensile strength, enabling the hyphae to strongly bind with surrounding particles. Thanks to this characteristic, mycelium serves as a natural binder in the production of biological construction materials known as bio composites [1].

Illustrations at various scales show the structure of fungal hyphae:

(A) Mushroom structure, (B) Hyphae,
(C) Fungal cells, (D) Cell wall of a single hypha

What are Mycelium Bricks?

Mycelium bricks are organic and biological bricks made from agricultural waste and mycelium, the fibrous root system of fungi. They thrive in moist, dark environments and can bind surrounding materials effectively.

The mycelium is cultivated from fungi in the Basidiomycota group and combined with the following substrates:

• Rice bran (RB)

• Sawdust (SD)

• Coconut husk fiber (CH)

• Sugarcane molasses (SCM) as the growth medium

The mixture is placed in molds and incubated for 25 days to allow the mycelium to develop. It is then baked at 110 to 115 degrees Celsius to stop further growth and stabilize the structure [2].

Mycelium Brick Production Process

1.Harvesting Fungal Mycelium (Fig. a and b)

• One kilogram of rice is placed in a plastic box and buried near bamboo roots for five days (Fig. a).
• After five days, the fungal mycelium that develops is separated from the rice (Fig. b).
• The collected mycelium is then mixed with one liter of sugarcane molasses and incubated at room temperature for five days to form the fungal serum.

2. Preparing the Base Materials (Fig. c and d)

• Agricultural residues are manually mixed to form the base substrate (Fig. c).
• All materials are rinsed with distilled water and passed through a 150 micrometer sieve to ensure particle uniformity.
• The fungal serum is added at a ratio of one tablespoon per kilogram of substrate (Fig. d).

3. Molding and Incubation (Fig. e)

• The mixture is poured into molds and incubated for 25 days in a dark room at a stable temperature (Fig. e).
• Brick weights are recorded daily during incubation.

4. Drying and Curing (Fig. f)

• After incubation, bricks are oven dried for one day to prevent further fungal growth:

• • • RB, RBM, SD, and SDM bricks are dried at 110 to 115 degrees Celsius.

    • C and CM bricks are fired at 900 to 1100 degrees Celsius.

• The bricks are then air dried for four more days to harden (Fig. f), followed by another four days of curing.
• Total process time is 34 days.

5. Mechanical Testing

• After 34 days, the bricks are tested for compressive strength using ASTM C67 standards and for flexural strength using ASTM E518 standards with a universal testing machine (UTM).
• The three point bending test determines the brick's flexural performance [1].

Applications of Mycelium Bricks

Exhibition and Interior Design

Mycelium bricks are used for counter cladding, producing a soft translucent glow and striking textures. The material serves both aesthetic and lighting diffusion purposes in high end exhibitions or commercial environments.

Interior Wall Panels and Artistic Walls

Mycelium bricks are assembled into biologically inspired patterns to create artistic walls with LED backlighting. This application is ideal for creative offices, cafes, sustainable showrooms, or event venues.

High Tech Experience Spaces with Bio Materials

Mycelium bricks are used to construct semi circular enclosures surrounding virtual reality users. Their lightweight, sound absorbing, and eco friendly nature makes them perfect for tech labs, meditation rooms, or interactive installations.

Complete Architectural Structures

Mycelium bricks are utilized in large scale buildings with soft, organic forms. Their low weight and strong bonding capability allow for tall, aesthetically pleasing structures that remain environmentally conscious. The combination of biological materials and lighting results in striking green architecture suited to modern sustainable design trends [3].

Semi Permanent Timber Structures

Mycelium bricks are integrated with wood and fired bricks to create ventilated, semi permanent walls. This design is well suited for garden houses, pavilions, or open air natural spaces [4].

References

1] J. M. C. Ongpeng, E. I. Inciong, V. Sendo, C. Soliman, and A. Siggaoat, “Using waste in producing bio-composite mycelium bricks,” Applied Sciences, vol. 10, no. 15, p. 5303, Jul. 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/15/5303

[2] A. S. Kanagalakshmi and S. G. S., “Study on mycelium bricks,” Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, vol. 8, no. 4, Apr. 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRES06036.pdf

[3] Green Construction Board, “Mycelium-based materials: The future of sustainable construction.” [Online]. Available: https://www.greenconstructionboard.org/alternative-materials-mycelium-based-materials

[4] Ecovative Design, “We grow better materials,” Instagram. [Online]. Available: https://www.instagram.com/ecovative

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