In the UK, scientists hoping to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry have developed a way to grow building materials using knitted molds and the root network of fungi. Dubbed mycocrete, the team at Newcastle University created a composite using the knitted molds as a flexible framework. The material is stronger and more versatile in terms of shape and form, allowing the scientists to grow lightweight and relatively eco-friendly construction materials.
“Our ambition is to transform the look, feel and wellbeing of architectural spaces using mycelium in combination with biobased materials such as wool, sawdust and cellulose,” said Dr. Jane Scott of Newcastle University, corresponding author of the paper in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
The material could provide a cheap, sustainable replacement for foam, timber, and plastic, but growing mycelium in molds has limitations because mycelium needs oxygen to grow. Knitted textiles offer a possible solution: oxygen-permeable molds that could change from flexible to stiff with the growth of the mycelium.
“Knitting is an incredibly versatile 3D manufacturing system,” said Scott. “It is lightweight, flexible, and formable. The major advantage of knitting technology compared to other textile processes is the ability to knit 3D structures and forms with no seams and no waste.”