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Research Article Volume 8 Issue No.4

Mycel Bricks – An Eco-Friendly Building Material using

Macroscopic Fungi
Banupriya.R1, Nagarajan.R2, Nijanthan.G3, Pandi Maharajan.M4
Assistant Professor1, UG Student2, 3, 4
Department of Civil Engineering
Sethu Institute of Technology, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract:
This study aims to explore mycelium as a potential composite material for construction and other applications because it has strong
binding properties and processes nutrients from sawdust, straw, grains etc. by using enzymes to convert cellulose in the substrate into
chitin, a strong compound. By inoculating the substrate with mushroom spawn, material can be grown. Each of these was put into a
plastic bag and then pasteurized at 70 to 80 degrees celsius for 1 hour over a hot plate. The bags were then left to cool to room
temperature. The spawn, in this case from the Oyster mushroom, grows onto the substrate and forms mycelium, the root structure of
the organisms whose fruits are mushrooms. Findings suggest that the best substrate to use with Oyster spawn is Rice straw or plywood
sawdust. The process took about2 weeks in the inoculation stage and another 15 days for final colonization on the support material.
Fourteen days after molding the mycelium into cast molds , they felt firm and a little spongy like wet foam. They are further baked at
90 degrees celsius for 8-10 hours, depending on the thickness of the final product. The final product will be processed for testing to
determine how much the material can be bent without cracking, which is important to know for applications in which the mycelium
would need stiffness and required strength.

Keywords: Composite material, Mycelium, Oyster mushroom, Inoculation, Colonization, Rice straw.

I. INTRODUCTION
A brick is building material used to make walls, pavements and
other elements in masonry construction. In this work is presented
a new category of self-growing, fibrous, natural composite
materials with controlled physical properties that can be
produced in large quantities and over wide areas based on
mycelium. It has been identified as the largest living organism
on earth . It grows due to its symbiotic relationship with the
materials that feed it, forming entangled networks of branching
fibers. The filaments of the fibrous mycelium are called hyphae
and consist of elongated cells. These cells are separated from
each other by internal porous cross walls, named septa. and are
all enclosed within a tubular cell wall. The cell wall plays
several physiological roles in fungi morphogenesis, protecting
the hyphae and providing the mechanical strength to the whole
mycelium. It is mainly composed of natural polymers as chitin,
cellulose, proteins, etc.. so it is a natural polymeric composite
fibrous material. Due to its unique structure and composition we
foresee the production of large amounts of mycelium-based
materials. Two types of edible, medicinal fungi species,
Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) and Pleurotus ostreatus (P.
ostreatus) were used. The development of such materials needs
usually difficult and complicated methods of processing of their
bio-sources, for their extraction, development and
functionalization that can be costly, time-consuming and with
low production yield. Mycelium creates a whole new paradigm
where composite materials are literally grown, harnessing the
incredible efficiency of nature. The fibres are nontoxic,
fireproof, mould and water resistant and trap more heat than
fibre glass insulation. It‘s also stronger than concrete.
Agricultural waste such as empty seed husks from rice or cotton
are cooked and inoculated with mushroom spores, water and
myco-vitamins, then left to grow in the dark. Once the finished
product is rendered biologically inert it can be used as building
blocks or insulation panels with many of the same properties as
conventional synthetics. And according to engineering tests,
densely packed mycelium is strong enough to be used in place of
wooden beams.
II. OBJECTIVES
The major objective of the project is replacing the costly and
scarce conventional building bricks by an innovative and
alternative building bricks which satisfies the following
characteristics,
 Required
 Cost effective
 Environmental friendly
 Less weight
 Inflammable
 Easily available
 Less water absorption
III. MATERIAL COLLECTION
A. RICE STRAW
Rice straw is a rice by-product produced when harvesting paddy.
Each kg of milled rice produced results in roughly 0.7–1.4 kg of
rice straw depending on varieties, cutting-height of the stubbles,
and moisture content during harvest. Rice straw is separated
from the grains after the plants are threshed either manually

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using stationary threshers or more recently by using combine
harvesters. Rice straw as a lignocellulosic biomass is comprised
of three components: lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses.
The characteristics of rice straw compared with other solid
fuels can be summarized as follows:
High silica content wears out the components in processing
machines, such as conveyers or grinders, and hampers
digestibility for livestock. Content of volatile matter in rice straw
is higher than that in wood and much higher than in coal. On the
other hand, fixed carbon is much lower than that in coal. Ash
content in rice straw is much higher than that in wood and coal
which causes barriers in energy conversion. High content of ash,
alkali and potassium causes agglomeration, fouling, and melting
in the components of combustors or boilers. Traditionally , in
South and Southeast Asian countries, rice straw and husk are
considered as wastes either dumped into rivers or burned in the
field causing GHG emissions, contamination and pollution.
With the development of recent technologies, rice residues can
be processed and managed using better practices. Management
options or rice residues can be classified as in-field and off-field
management.
Table.1. Property of Rice straw
S.NO PROPERTY RANGE
1 Bulk density 50-120 kg/m3
2 Moisture contents 15-18%
3 Volatile matter 60.8-65.4%
contents
4 Ash contents 20.9-29.1%
5 Fixed carbon 14-15.86%
6 Carbon contents 33-38%
7 Lignin 15-20%
8 Hemicellulose 20-25%
9 Cellulose 30-45%
B. BED SPAWN (P. OSTREATUS )
Pleurotus ostreatus (white-rot fungi), also known as oyster
mushroom is commercially important in the world mushroom
market. Mushrooms are one kind of edible fungi belonging to
the genus Pleurotus under the class Basidiomycetes. Oyster
mushroom is an edible mushroom having excellent flavor and
taste. P. ostreatus has received increasing attention for
applications in bio-bleaching and the catalysis of difficult
chemical conversions in the paper industry, textile dye
decolorization, and detoxification of environmental pollutants.
Mushrooms are prized for their exclusive flavor and
deliciousness, they are rich in proteins, contain less fat, less
carbohydrates and salt and rich in fibres and have high vitamin
B12 and folic acid which are uncommon in vegetables. High
availability of lysine and tryptophan and other amino acids
usually absent in cereals make them ideal for food for patients
suffering from hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Mushrooms
require carbon, nitrogen and inorganic compounds as their
nutritional sources and the main nutrients are carbon sources
such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and recommending
International Journal of Engineering Science and Computing, April 2018
the use of various wastes for growth of P.ostreatus.Grow on
hardwood logs or stumps in your yard. These plug spawn are
small wooden cylinders that are infused with pearl oyster
mushroom mycelium.
IV. PREPARATION OF SUBSTRATES
Rice straw and bed spawn of P. ostreatus (Edible mushroom)
were used as the basic substrate conditions. Each substrate was
moistened until squeezing a handful allowed a few drops of
water to escape. Each of these was put into a plastic bag and then
pasteurized at 70-80 degrees celsius for 1 hour. The bags were
then left to cool to room temperature.
V. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
A. INOCULATION
Once the bags of substrate were sterilized, they were inoculated
with spawn. During this process, it was very important to
sterilize everything: the tabletop, our hands, the substrate bags,
etc. so that no contamination could occur. The spawn will be
completely white with mycelium on the exterior but the interior
may look to have less mycelium. This is another reason that
mixing and breaking up the spawn is so important.
B. COLONIZATION
It took 2 weeks for the spawn to colonize the substrate as shown
below. Once colonized, the bags were firm to the touch and felt
much like the original spawn used to inoculate the substrate. As
with the original spawn, when broken, the interior was less white
than the exterior. After 2 weeks of colonization, they were ready
for molding.
C. MOLDING
Casting is a basic molding process as it requires the least amount
of complex technologyIt was essential to sterilize everything
once again before transferring the substrate into the molds which
had been cast from clay forms based were made to test
moldability and resolution of the material. Compression after
filling. Before molding,mold are covered with plastic paper. we
have used wooden mold for molding.
D. UNMOLDING
Eleven days after molding the mycelium into molds, the mold
were ready for curing. Most of them were well colonized with
lots of white mycelium on the surface. They felt firm and a little
spongy like wet foam. .
E. CURING (HEATING PROCESS)
For Mycel bricks, curing is the process of heating the unmolded
colonized substrate and are balking at 90 degrees celsius in oven
for 8-10 hours, depending on the thickness of the final
product.These Bricks were also acceptableto cure them on the
roof for approximately 6 hours.
FINAL PRODUCT OF MYCEL BRICKS
Figure.1. Mycel Bricks
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VI. RESULT AND DISCUSSION PRECAUTIONS
 There should not be any kind of cracks on the brick
To analyse the compressive strength and the technical features of before testing its compressive strength.
mycel brick, we will conduct the laboratory test and thus the  Mechanism of crack on the brick should be noted
brick sample will be taken to the laboratory. delicately.
 Reading should be taken without any mistakes.
STANDARD AND NOMINAL BRICKS SIZE OF INDIA
In India, according to recommendation of BIS, standard modular FORMULA
brick size is 190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm.With mortar thickness, Compressive strength = Max. load at failure
the dimension of the brick becomes 200 mm x 100 mm x 100 Loaded area
mm which can be also called as the nominal size of the modular
brick. S.No Sample Compressive Strength (N/mm2 )
1 Trial 1 3.3
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF BRICKS 2 Trial 2 3.1
Compressive strength of bricks are very unsteady, and may vary
3 Trial 3 2.9
from 30 kg/sq. cm to 150 kg/sq. cm for hand-made burnt bricks
The average compressive strength of the mycel brick is 3.1
while the compressive strength of heavy duty bricks which are
N/mm2.
machine pressed may have compressive strength as high as 450
kg/sq. cm and even 500 kg/sq. cm. The minimum compressive
HARDNESS TEST
strengths of burnt bricks tested flat-wise described are:
In this test a scratch is made on brick surface with a hard thing.
1. Common building bricks—35 kg/sq. cm,
If that doesn‘t left any impression on brick then that is good
2. Second class bricks—70 kg/sq. cm,
quality brick. The hardness test of the bricks are determined by
3.First class bricks— 105 kg/sq. cm.
the standard procedure. Nail impression was impinged in the
4. Compressive strength of bricks, not less than 140 kg/sq. cm
hardened brick. Hardness test revels no presence of nail
are graded as AA class.
impressions. Thus, theMycel bricks is sufficiently hard.
DETERMINING THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF
SIZE AND SHAPE TEST
THREE DIFFERENT GRADED BRICKS
In this test randomly collected 4 bricks are staked along
lengthwise, width wise and height wise and then those are
THEORY
measured to know the variation of sizes as per standard. Bricks
Bricks are categorized into three different grades as per IS 1977-
are closely viewed to check if its edges are sharp and straight
1976. The minimum compressive strength of the brick is at the
and uniform in shape. The size, and shape test of the bricks are
class A that is equal to 350 kg/cm.sq.The minimum compressive
determined by the standard procedure. 4 bricks are randomly
strength of class c bricks should not be less than 350
selected and their shape and size are compared. They are
kg/cm.sq.Also the compressive test of individual bricks would
perfectly rectangle and size is of 22.5 cm* 10 cm* 7.5 cm
not fall below the maximum requirement by more than 20%.
respectively.
NSTRUMENTS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED
VII. CONCLUSION
1)Compressive testing machine.
The current study used oyster spawn, as it seemed from current
2)Plastic bricks sample.
research that it would produce a stronger and stiffer mycelium
3)Scale / Ruler.
which is also used by some currently experimenting in this
field.Oyster mushrooms are known to grow more quickly though
APPLICATIONS
it is not clear if this extends to their respective mycelium growth
Compressive strength is one of the prime property of bricks as
rates. If this is the case, Oyster spawn could be a better choice in
various types of bricks are used for different purpose of work. It
the mass production of mycelium based products providing it is
is important to check out its compressive strength for given
strong enough for the desired application. It was unexpected that
grades of brick.
the samples with the combination of plywood saw dust ( 60%)
and Straw ( 40%) were actually contaminated even though we
PROCEDURE
thoroughly pasteurized the substrate before inoculating with
 Take a sample of plastic and measure its dimension.
spawn and took precautions to reduce contamination when
 After measuring the dimension, calculate cross
working with the mycelium. This ―pure‖ mycelium which grew
sectional area of bricks with help of it.
at the edges and between the flat faces of the molds was also an
 Place the block between the mouth of compression
unexpected discovery. As there were only small pieces of this
testing machine.
material, we could not test its strength. However it was soft and
 Apply the load continuously on the block until cracks
pleasant to the touch and especially smooth. Further
are formed on the brick. When cracks are recognized on
investigation is necessary to determine exactly the properties of
bricks, stop the machine and measure applied load and
this material, ways to produce pure mycelium, and potential
note down the readings.
applications. .From observation, however, the material‘s
 Repeat the above procedure for three different types of
compressive strength seems fair enough .So These mycelium
machines.
materials can also be used in places where suitable for non-load

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bearing walls only. These bricks are not suitable for water
logging and external walls. It can be used in inner partition
walls. Due to less weight of these bricks, the total dead load of
the building will be reduced.

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