Life Cycle Assessment of Fungal-Based Composite Bricks

Abstract

Fungal-based composites as substitutes for construction materials might represent a promising solution to reduce the environmental burdens of the building industry. Such composites can be produced biotechnologically through the cultivation of multicellular fungi that form dense mycelia whilst growing into and onto residual plant biomass from agriculture and forestry. As comprehensive environmental assessments are missing, this paper conducts a life cycle assessment for fungal-based composite bricks considering the categories of climate change, eutrophication, acidification, smog, water scarcity, and land use. Electricity for sterilization, incubation, and the drying process led to 81.4% of a total 0.494 total kg CO2 eq. for climate change and 58.7% of a total 9.39 × 10−4 kg SO2 eq. for acidification. Further, hemp shives and grain mix were identified as hotspots for eutrophication (77.7% of 6.02 × 10−4 kg PO4−3 eq.) and land use (81.8% of 19.4 kg Pt eq.). However, the use of hemp shives, rapeseed straw, or poplar wood chips did not differ in the environmental impacts. Further, lab-scale production was compared with industrial scale-up, which is mostly characterized by energy efficiency showing reduced impacts for all considered categories, e.g., a decrease of 68% in climate change. Recycling should be included in future studies as well as considering the use and end-of-life phase.

Mycelium-Based Composite Graded Materials: Assessing the Effects of Time and Substrate Mixture on Mechanical Properties

“…An LCA analysis of MBC bricks on the lab and industrial scale shows reductions in most impact categories. Biodegradability might reduce the AEC industry’s environmental footprint if conventional building materials can be substituted with MBC [ 56 ].…”

Tilted Arch; Implementation of Additive Manufacturing and Bio-Welding of Mycelium-Based Composites

“…Therefore, detailed research is needed to implement and build these biomaterials in the AEC industry. Furthermore, although MBCs offer many advantages for lightweight, sustainable materials [5], there are still challenges for using these materials, especially for large-scale production [6]. This paper presents the early stages of an interdisciplinary research project exploring the applications of mycelium-based composites in architecture as a sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable alternative material.…”

“…Therefore, detailed research is needed to implement and build these biomaterials in the AEC industry. Furthermore, although MBCs offer many advantages for lightweight, sustainable materials [ 5 ], there are still challenges for using these materials, especially for large-scale production [ 6 ].…”

MY-CO SPACE: An artistic-scientific vision on how to build with fungi

“…In this "cradle-to-gate" study, we wished to determine the potential environmental impacts regarding lab-scale production of Fomes fomentarius composite materials when cultivated on hemp shives, rapeseed straw, and poplar wood chips. We decided to produce for this case-study standardized bricks according to the DIN EN 771-1 to enable direct comparison with bricks commonly used in construction industry, such as concrete bricks, sandlime bricks, and facing bricks [15]. When considering the categories of climate change, eutrophication, acidification, smog, water scarcity, and land use, it became obvious that the fungal-based bricks performed significantly better than the conventional ones in the categories climate change, water scarcity, and smog [15].…”