Testing the Structural Properties of Ganoderma Mycelium
Disciplines
Biological and Chemical Physics | Biology and Biomimetic Materials | Biotechnology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
When people think of mushrooms and fungi, they are often unsure on what benefits the root-like structures have or even what they are. Mycelium is the main body of the organism and mainly serves as a decomposer in the environment, however, the fibrous composition is very strong and has many properties that would be beneficial as construction materials. To determine suitability as a construction material we wanted to test the combustibility and strength properties of mycelia grown on bulk agricultural waste products (e.g. cotton gin byproduct, peanut hulls, saw dust, etc.). We tested the physical properties of mycelium from two different species of fungi: Ganoderma lucidum and Ganoderma sp miran lake. We constructed two 40 mm by 40 mm molds using a 3d printer in which 1.5 % Malt agar substrate that was innoculated with grain spawn from the two species will be allowed to grow. From there, we will take the mycelium tile and run a series of tests to determine the structural qualities. Additionally, we took the spent substrate blocks from the commercial production of oyster mushrooms to evaluate combustibility. The block did not ignite when a butane flame was applied for 30 seconds. What we hope to see from our experiments is that: the mycelium will prove to be strong and heat resistant enough to replace some of the existing fire retardants used in construction. We hypothesize that the dense mat of mycelium created by Ganoderma will be self-extinguishing and make a non-toxic replacement for existing products.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Molecular and Cellular Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Christopher Cornelison
Testing the Structural Properties of Ganoderma Mycelium
When people think of mushrooms and fungi, they are often unsure on what benefits the root-like structures have or even what they are. Mycelium is the main body of the organism and mainly serves as a decomposer in the environment, however, the fibrous composition is very strong and has many properties that would be beneficial as construction materials. To determine suitability as a construction material we wanted to test the combustibility and strength properties of mycelia grown on bulk agricultural waste products (e.g. cotton gin byproduct, peanut hulls, saw dust, etc.). We tested the physical properties of mycelium from two different species of fungi: Ganoderma lucidum and Ganoderma sp miran lake. We constructed two 40 mm by 40 mm molds using a 3d printer in which 1.5 % Malt agar substrate that was innoculated with grain spawn from the two species will be allowed to grow. From there, we will take the mycelium tile and run a series of tests to determine the structural qualities. Additionally, we took the spent substrate blocks from the commercial production of oyster mushrooms to evaluate combustibility. The block did not ignite when a butane flame was applied for 30 seconds. What we hope to see from our experiments is that: the mycelium will prove to be strong and heat resistant enough to replace some of the existing fire retardants used in construction. We hypothesize that the dense mat of mycelium created by Ganoderma will be self-extinguishing and make a non-toxic replacement for existing products.