Fungilation

THERMALLY INSULATING MYCELIUM-BASED COMPOSITES THROUGH THE TARGETED COMBINATION OF NATURAL FIBRE SPACER FABRICS AND FUNGAL MYCELIUM.

The aim of this “Fungilation” project is to produce a high-quality, thermally insulating mycelium-based composite (MBC) made from renewable raw materials for components used in transportation and building structures, made exclusively from rapidly renewable raw materials.

The new thermally insulating MBC material consists of two components that are combined:

• a nutrient substrate with living fungal mycelium,
• a spacer fabric made of natural fibers.

The natural fibers are processed into a spacer fabric (Phase I) into which the nutrient substrate with fungal mycelium is integrated (Phase II). Filling the spacer fabric with nutrient substrate and fungal mycelium creates the basis for a fiber composite component, which in the following Phase III leads to independent, natural consolidation of the fiber composite component.

The component is exposed to an environment conducive to fungal growth for consolidation. This stimulates the fungus to grow and form its network of thread-like hyphae (mycelium). The mycelium penetrates the entire nutrient substrate and also the natural fibers of the spacer fabric selected for this purpose

The manufacturing processes are therefore completely different from previous technologies on the market. A particular advantage is that the fabric forms a permanent formwork for the mycelium-based composite, eliminating the need for additional formwork material during production.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Götz T. Gresser
Institute for Textile and Fiber Technologies (ITFT), University of Stuttgart

PARTICIPATING RESEARCHER

Prof. Martin Ostermann
Institute of Building Technology and Design (IBK), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHERS

Eliza Biala (IBK)
Piotr Baszyński (IBK)

PARTNERS

Institut für Textil- und Verfahrenstechnik (ITV)
der Deutschen Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung (DITF), Denkendorf, Germany

Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jürgen Bauder
Timo Weimer
Julia Knopf

FUNDING

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie:
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.