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RESEARCH ARTICLE
1
USDA-ARS Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit 1604 E. FM 1294, Lubbock, TX 79403, USA
2
Ecovative Design, LLC, 60 Cohoes Avenue, Green Island, NY 12183, USA
Delivered
Since polystyrene is non-biodegradable, by Ingenta
a biodegradable to: that is eco-friendly is being sought
material
as a substitute for packaging and insulation Greg
boardHolt
consumers. One such process, developed by
Ecovative Design, LLC, involves growingIP fungal
: 199.133.133.66
species on agricultural biomass to produce an eco-
friendly packaging product (EcoCradle™)
Thu, 29 andNovinsulation panels (Greensulate™). The objective of
2012 23:20:57
this research was to develop and evaluate six blends of processed cotton plant biomass (CPB)
materials as a substrate for colonization of selected fungi in the manufacture of molded packaging
material. The blends were comprised of processed CPB, cotton seed hulls, starch, and gypsum. The
four ingredients were the same mix percentage for all six blends with the particle size of the CPM
being the only difference. CPB particles sizes ranged from 0.1 to 51 mm. Tests were conducted to
evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of the six CPB blends. Test results revealed blends
that met or exceeded like characteristics of extruded polystyrene foam.
Keywords: Composite, Cotton, Mycelium, Biobased, Biodegradable.
Muscatine, IA) and then sorted across a Triple/S Dynam- was allowed to mix for 7 min, at maximum agitation
ics model VCSUF-24X12-3 vibratory conveyor (Triple/S (15 rpm). Upon completion of the mixing, the blend
Dynamics, Inc., Dallas, TX) to obtain the specific particle was emptied into a tote bag, labeled, and stored until
size ranges needed for each blend (Table I).Delivered The cotton by Ingenta
shipmentto: to Ecovative Design’s facility in Green Island,
carpel material, for one of the blends, before and after Greg Holt
NY. Specifics related to constituent fraction of the blends
processing is shown in Figure 1. The sized material IP : 199.133.133.66
was are considered proprietary information by Ecovative
packaged and stored in a dry location until Thu, blending.29 Nov
The 2012 23:20:57
Design, LLC.
cotton plant material particles were sized to be within the
desired range, 0.1 to 51 mm. 2.2. Composite Fabrication
Blending of the cotton plant material was accomplished
with a Davis 1.4 Mg ribbon mixer (H.C. Davis Sons Man- At Ecovative’s research laboratory in Green Island,
ufacturing Co., Inc., Bonner Springs, KS). Each blend was New York, is the pilot manufacturing plant. A schematic
processed in 159 kg batches. The constituent materials of the pilot plant process is shown in Figure 2. At the
used in the six blends evaluated were comprised of: pilot plant, the tote bags with each blend were emptied
(1) processed cotton carpel, into a bulk bin with a live-bottom auger that fed a pas-
(2) cotton seed hull, teurizer where the material was sterilized at 115 C for
(3) starch, and approximately 28 min. Exiting the pasteurizer, the blend
(4) gypsum. was gravity fed into a water-jacketed auger (cooler) where
it was cooled below 35 C. Upon exiting the cooler, the
The primary ingredient in each of the six blends was the
blend was inoculated with the fungus, Ganoderma sp.,
processed cotton carpel. For all six blends, the ingredi-
using a specified grain or liquid substrate as the carrier.
ents were added at the same percentages with the only
After inoculation, the blend was discharged into a plas-
difference being the particle size range of the processed
tic mold, referred to as a tool, which was in the desired
cotton carpel (Table I). Each ingredient was added one at
shape of the piece to be fabricated. The material was gen-
a time into the mixer and agitated while adding between
tly hand-packed in the tool and any excess was removed,
1.5 to 2.5 l of water, to minimize dust and promote
the tool was then sealed in order to maintain a consistent
adhesion of the starches and gypsum to the cotton plant
micro-environment for fungal propagation (Fig. 3). The
filled tool was incubated on a bread rack at 21 C for
Table I. Particle size ranges for cotton plant material used in each of 5-days at which time the fungal mycelium colonized the
the six blends evaluated in this study. blend. Figure 4 shows the fungal colonization of one of
the blends over a three day period. After 5 days, the part
Primary particle size range of
Blends a
processed cotton plant material (mm) was removed from the tool and placed in 60 C convec-
tion oven for 8 h, which inactivated the fungus and pre-
1 28–51
vented reanimation. After drying, the pieces were stored at
2 12–28
3 0.1–12 ambient laboratory conditions (approximately 21 C and
4 12–51 30% RH) until testing. Figure 5 shows a typical part after
5 0.1–12, 28–51 drying. Specifics related to quantity of inoculum, pasteur-
6 0.1–51 izer and cooler speeds, and specific processes applied not
Notes: a Primary ingredient of each blend was the processed cotton plant material. listed are considered proprietary information by Ecovative
The other ingredients in each blend were starch, gypsum, and cottonseed hulls. Design, LLC.
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Delivered by Ingenta to:
Greg Holt
IP : 199.133.133.66
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:20:57
Fig. 2. Schematic of Ecovative’s pilot manufacturing facility used to produce the cotton plant and fungal mycelium based molded packaging specimens
evaluated in this study.
2.3. Analytical Testing horizontal orientation at 50 kW/m2 heat flux. All other
analyses were conducted at the Ecovative research labo-
Each of the six blends was used to produce a packag- ratory. We did not evaluate expanded polystyrene samples
ing material that was subjected to standard test meth- in this study. Numerous sources of information pertain-
ods for compressive strength,20 flexural strength21 (Fig. 6), ing to physical and mechanical properties of expanded
modulus of elasticity,21 density,22 dimensional stability,22 polystyrene are available in the public domain.28–31
accelerated aging,23 water absorption,24 cone calorimetry25
(Fig. 7), and thermal conductivity.26 Cone calorime- 2.4. Data Analysis
try (flame retardance characteristics) was performed at
the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Fire Research Two types of inoculum (grain and liquid substrate) were
Laboratory in Worcester, MA. Specimens were tested in applied to each of six cotton plant material blends for a
Fig. 3. Selecting the lid for the tool containing inoculated cotton plant material substrate (left) and snapping the lid in place (right) to maintain
micro-environment for optimum growth.
Fig. 6. Flexural strength testing of one of the cotton plant material test
specimens.
Fig. 4. Time sequence showing the inoculated cotton plant material sub-
strate (day 0) and fungal colonization over a 3-day period. The white Fig. 7. Cone calorimeter test samples of two of the treatments evaluated
specks are the living fungus. in this study, Grain 6 (left) and Grain 4 (right), after testing.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION due to the greater mass of the grain-based inoculum versus
the liquid-based inoculum. The density adjusted values for
3.1. Physical Properties FS show Grain 1 and Grain 6 with the highest values at
Figure 8 shows a comparison of the dimensional stability 26 kPa and Liquid 2 with the lowest at 7 kPa. The EM
(surface area contraction) of the treatments after drying. was significantly higher for Liquid 5 (674 kPa) than all
Blends inoculated with the grain-based substrate showed other treatments with Liquid 2 having the lowest, 123 kPa.
less surface area contraction than did blends inoculated Compressive strength was significantly higher for Liquid 3
with the liquid-based substrate. Grain 3 (Blend 3, grain- (72 kPa) than for all other treatments with Liquid 4 having
based inoculum) had the smallest measured surface area the lowest CS at 1.1 kPa.
contraction (0.64%), whereas Liquid 5 (Blend 5, liquid- Sample degradation associated with FS, EM, and CS
based inoculum) exhibited the greatest measured surface resulting from accelerated aging testing is shown in
area contraction (2.4%). Grain 3, 4, 5, and Liquid 6 were the second column of Table II. The percent degrada-
similar in the percent contraction and significantly lower tion data was calculated according to the equation in the
than Grain 2, Liquid 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. standard:23
The importance of dimensional stability is related to
Degradation Percentage
RESEARCH ARTICLE
tool design. The larger the percent contraction the more
oversized the tool needs to be for the finished product to = (Conditioned test value/as received test value) ∗ 100
be within desired specifications. Another factor influenc-
ing tool design is contraction variability. TheDelivered
more vari- by Ingenta to: values closer to the base line (100%) exhibit
Therefore,
able a blend/inoculum combination is, the more difficult Greg Holt
less degradation than samples with values further from the
it is to produce parts that are consistently withinIPdimen-
: 199.133.133.66
baseline. FS degradation for Grain 5, 1, 6, and Liquid 3
Thu,
sional tolerances of customer specifications. All 29 Nov 2012
treatments 23:20:57
exhibited little degradation from aging. Liquid 5’s FS was
had similar standard mean errors associate with percent reduced almost in half as a result of aging whereas the
contraction (0.093 to 0.108), so the means are a reliable FS of Grain 3 and Liquid 2 exhibited increased stiffness
indicator of the contraction expected when designing tools due to aging. EM for Grain 6 had the largest change in
for a given treatment. percent degradation of 318.6%. Liquid 5 had the largest
The flexure strength (FS), elastic modulus (EM), and reduction in EM at 43.6%. The treatments that had the
compressive strength (CS) in Table II are normalized to largest percent CS degradation were Liquid 5 (250.1%)
a standard density of 32.04 kg/m3 since this is the den- and Liquid 3 (6.8%). The CS degradation was least for
sity of the polystyrene packaging the EcoCradle material Grain 4 (92%) and Grain 1 (110%). Overall, Grain 1 had
can replace in the market. The density of the treatments the most consistent performance, by exhibiting some of the
ranged from 66.5 kg/m3 to 224 kg/m3 . The density for lowest degradation values for FS, EM, and CS compared
grain treatments was higher than for the liquid treatments to all other treatments.
Fig. 8. Average surface area contraction (%) or shrinkage of the sample pieces made from each treatment after oven drying. Bars with the same
letters are not significantly different at the 0.05 level of significance.
Table II. Physical properties from molded packaging material produced Table III. Water absorption testing results from molded packaging
from six cotton-based substrate blends and two fungal inoculum methods. material produced from six cotton-based substrate blends and two fungal
inoculum methods.
Physical properties (density adjusted)
Water absorption
Response variablea Flexure strength Flexure strength degradation
Standardb ASTM C203 ASTM C481 Response Gain after Gain after Gain after
Units (kPa) (%) variable 75 hr 3 hr 168 hr
Standard ASTM C1134 ASTM C1134 ASTM C1134
Inoculum/blend Valuec Inoculum/blend Valuec
Units (%) (%) (%)
Grain 1 261A Liquid 2 1967A
Inoculum/ Inoculum/ Inoculum/
Grain 6 259A Grain 3 1860A blend Valueb blend Valueb blend Valueb
Grain 2 235A B Grain 4 1812A B
Grain 5 219A B C Liquid 4 Grain 1
1583A B 307A Grain 1 480A Grain 1 1981A
Liquid 1 208A B C Liquid 6 Liquid 1
1557A B 207A B Liquid 4 392A B Liquid 4 1780A
Liquid 5 196A B C Liquid 1 Grain 5
1151A B 171B C Liquid 1 342A B Liquid 1 1688A
Liquid 2 139B C Grain 5 298A B Liquid 5 1637A
Liquid 3 164A B C Grain 2 1116A B
Liquid 5 115B C Liquid 5 258A B Grain 5 1550A
Grain 3 123B C Grain 6 1005A B
Liquid 4 112B C Liquid 2 252A B Liquid 2 1536A
Grain 4 104B C Grain 1 1003A B
RESEARCH ARTICLE
After 3 h, Grain 1 (48.0%) still had the highest water The largest increase in water absorption from 0.75 h to 3 h
absorption and Grain 6 (10.8%) the lowest. However, was seen in Liquid 4 which moved from 11.2% to 39.2%.
Grain 1 was only significantly higher than five other treat- The smallest increase from 0.75 h to 3 h was Grain 4,
ments: Grain 2, Grain 3, Grain 4, Grain 6, and Liquid 3. 8.9% to 12.2%.
Table V. Cone calorimeter testing results from molded packaging material produced from six cotton-based substrate blends and two fungal inoculum
methods.
Thermal properties
Response variable Peak heat release rate Average heat release rate Peak carbon monoxide
Standarda ASTM E1354 ASTM E1354 ASTM E1354
Units kW/m2 kW/m2 kW/m2
Inoculum/blend Valueb Inoculum/blend Valueb Inoculum/blend Valueb
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Liquid 6 1070A Grain 5 663A B Liquid 4 229B
Grain 4 1053A Liquid 4 625A B Liquid 6 213B
Grain 2 1040A Grain 3 617A B Grain 1 200B C
Grain 3 1040A Liquid 5 613A B Grain 5 200B C
Grain 6 1035A DeliveredGrain
by4Ingenta to:593A B Liquid 5 197B C
Grain 5 1033A Grain Holt
Greg 2 572A B Liquid 1 177B C D
Liquid 5 991A Grain 6 565A B Grain 4 167B C D
Liquid 4 973A B
IP : 199.133.133.66
Liquid 1 562A B Grain 2 158B C D
Liquid 1 919A B Thu, 29 Nov
Grain2012
1 23:20:57
553B Grain 3 100C D
Liquid 3 657B Liquid 3 549B Liquid 3 090D
Response variable Average carbon monoxide Peak carbon dioxide Average carbon dioxide
Standarda ASTM E1354 ASTM E1354 ASTM E1354
Units mg/s mg/s mg/s
Inoculum/blend Valueb Inoculum/blend Valueb Inoculum/blend Valueb
Response variable Peak mass loss rate Average mass loss rate Mass loss
Standarda ASTM E1354 ASTM E1354 ASTM E1354
Units mg/s mg/s mg/s
Notes: a ASTM = American Society for Testing and Materials. b Means within the same column followed by different letters in the corresponding row are statistically
different at the 0.05 level of significance.
primarily to the added weight of the grain. The densities 6. S. S. Ahankari, A. K. Mohanty, and M. Misra, Compos. Sci. Technol.
were higher than desired (32.04 kg/m3 ) due in large part 71, 653 (2011).
to the inclusion of cotton plant particles less than 2 mm. 7. H. Gialamas, K. G. Zinoviadou, C. G. Biliaderis, and
K. P. Koutsoumanis, Food Research International 43, 2402 (2010).
In future studies, cotton plant material having a diame- 8. Y. Makino and T. Hirata, Postharvest Biology and Technology
ter less than 2 mm will not be used. No single treatment 10, 247 (1997).
outperformed the other treatments in all categories evalu- 9. M. Rinaudo, Prog. Polym. Sci. 31, 603 (2006).
ated. Most of the treatments performed similarly to each 10. K. V. H. Prashanth and R. N. Tharanathan, Trends in Food Science
other for the response variables measured. In regards to and Technology 18, 117 (2007).
11. I. O. Fasids and U. U. Ekuere, Food Chem. 48, 255 (1993).
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and compressive strength and elastic modulus. Biodeterior. Biodegrad. 59, 216 (2007).
Overall, the use of cotton-based fungal mycelium pack- 14. A. Medina, M. Vassileva, F. Caravaca, A. Roldán, and R. Azcón,
aging material is a viable alternative to polystyrene Chemosphere 56, 499 (2004).
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packaging. As refinements in processing and biomass 16. Y. Li and K. L. Pickering, Compos. Sci. Technol. 69, 1265 (2009).
blend development continue, the physical and mechanical 17. Y. Li, K. L. Pickering, and R. L. Farrell, Industrial Crops and
properties of the product should improve. Improved phys-
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Products 29, 420 (2009).
ical characteristics will cause agricultural residue-based 18. E. Bayer, G. McIntyre, and B. L. Swersey, Method for producing
fungal composites to be suitable for numerous applications grown materials and products made thereby, U.S. Patent Application
US 2008/0145577 A1, June (2008).
that presently use fossil-fuel based materials. Delivered by Ingenta
19. E. Bayerto:and G. McIntyre, Method for producing rapidly renewable
Greg Holtchitinous material using fungal fruiting bodies and product made
thereby. U.S. Patent Application US2009/0307969 A1, December
Abbreviations IP : 199.133.133.66
(2009).
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:20:57
20. ASTM C165-07, Standard Test Method for Measuring Compressive
CGB: Cotton Gin Byproducts Properties fo Thermal Insulations, ASTM International (2007).
21. ASTM C203-05a, Standard Test Methods for Breaking Load
and Flexural Properties of Block-Type Thermal Insulation, ASTM
Disclaimer International (2005).
22. ASTM C303-10, Standard Test Method for Dimensions and Den-
Mention of product or trade names does not constitute
sity of Performed Block and Board-Type Thermal Insulation, ASTM
an endorsement by the USDA-ARS over other compara- International (2010).
ble products. Products or trade names are listed for ref- 23. ASTM C481-99, Standard Test Method for Laboratory Aging of
erence only. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and Sandwich Constructions, ASTM International (2005).
employer. 24. ASTM C1134-90, Standard Test Method for Water Retention of
Rigid Thermal Insulations Following Partial Immersion, ASTM
International (2007).
Acknowledgment: This project was a collaborative 25. ASTM E1354-11, Standard Test Method for Heat and Visible Smoke
effort involving USDA-ARS in Lubbock, TX, and Release Rates for Materials and Products Using and Oxygen Con-
Ecovative Design, LLC of Green Island, NY, under a sumption Calorimeter, ASTM International (2011).
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (#58- 26. Therm Test, Inc., TPS 500 thermal conductivity instrument infor-
mation booklet. http://www.thermtest.com/content/237301. Verified,
3K95-0-1391). The authors would like to thank Philip
June (2011).
Pearson, Bill Turner, Jeff Turner, Jimmie Castro, Gary 27. G. A. Holt, G. L. Barker, R. V. Baker, and A. D. Brashears, Trans.
Schlabs, Clinton Cox, and Chris Arinder for their work ASAE 43, 1393 (2000).
in preparation of this manuscript, processing the cotton 28. Typical Physical Properties of Expanded Polystyrene, Undated http://
byproducts, and making the blends used in this study. www.universalconstructionfoam.com/downloads/eps-data-sheet.pdf,
Verified, September (2011).
29. EPS Geofoam Data Sheet, Undated. http://www.
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