Environmentally Friendly Mushroom Insulation

Eben Bayer, an RPI graduate student who was raised on a mushroom farm in Vermont, and colleague Gavin McIntyre, whom has a curiosity in eco-technology, both teamed up to make an environmentally sound “Greensulate.” This fireproof “Greensulate” that they patented, does not contain any petrochemicals and does not require too much money or energy to grow. This product also happens to be quite original compared to other insulations, because it is not made from recycled objects, and is cheap and energy-efficient to grow, because it is organic. To create it, water, flour, oyster mushroom spores, perlite (mineral mix that’s in potting soil), starch and hydrogen peroxide are combined and put into 7 X 7 inch casts. Live mushroom cells are inserted into the casts, and the cells are left alone for around two weeks while they eat the starch and grow thousands of “root like cellular strands” (Pasko). Once the 1 inch thick board of insulation is developed, it is dried to prevent fungal development (so most likely mold or fungal allergies will not), and ends up having the feel of a “giant cracker” (Pasko). These two young men plan to research more about their product, by creating various tests and increasing the size of the board. So far, their sample aged 2 years, has been exposed to water, humidity, along with other vital elements, and reveals no marks of decomposition. This product is also practical enough to compete in the market, because 1 inch of this insulation (which was tested at the National Institute of Standards and Technology) has a 2.9 R-value (R-value means the ability of material to withstand heat), and fiberglass insulation has a range of 2.7-3.7R.

This article is so interesting, because I have never seen anything like this! I have never heard the concept of growing mushrooms to make insulation. This idea is amazing, because so far it has proven to be reliable, where the two-year old sample is still in good condition. Although, hopefully this would not take too much mushrooms to make, since mushrooms are a food source. Overall though, the fact that this is organic, fire resistant, inexpensive, and is environmentally friendly, really makes me happy.

Since this product has a high R-value, it is actually practical enough to compete with other insulations in the market. It even has won a large cash prize award (this article was written in 2007, and there is another article that I read, which explains how this product won a large prize). “ECOVATIVE wins $750,000 PICNIC GREEN CHALLENGE PRIZE—International Competition Challenges Entrepreneurs to Reduce CO2 with New Products or Services for Consumers” (here it is, and the web address where it is from, is http://ecovativedesign.blogspot.com/2008/10/ecovative-wins-500000-euro-prize-750000.html). Another fact though, is that since these two men are still young and ambitious, this product will more likely be successful.

AP/Jessica M. Pasko. “Health and Science: Mushrooms Become Source For Eco-Building.” TIME. June 25, 2007.