[6] When spread on logging roads, mycelium can act as a binder, holding disturbed new soil in place thus preventing washouts until woody plants can establish roots.
[7] Turning a backyard compost pile will commonly expose visible networks of mycelia that have formed on the decaying organic material within.
Animal leather contributes to a significant environmental footprint, as livestock farming is associated with deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and grazing.
In addition, the production of synthetic leathers from polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane require the use of hazardous chemicals and fossil fuels, and they are not biodegradable (like plastic).
In solid-state fermentation, mycelium is grown on forestry bioproducts, like sawdust, in an environment with high carbon dioxide concentrations and controlled humidity and temperature.
The mycelium mat formed on top of the particle bed is dehydrated, chemically treated, and then compressed to a desired thickness and engraved with a pattern.
[11] Mycelium is a strong candidate for sustainable construction primarily due to its lightweight biodegradable structure and its capacity to be grown from waste sources.
In addition to this, mycelium has a relatively high strength-to-weight ratio and a much lower embodied energy compared to traditional building materials.
Because mycelium takes the form of any mold it's grown in, it can also be advantageous for customization purposes, especially if it's employed as an architectural or aesthetic feature.
Current research has also indicated that mycelium does not release toxic resins in the event of a fire because it has a charring effect similar to mass timber.
[12] Mycelium bio-composites have shown strong potential for structural applications, with much higher strength-to-weight ratios than that of conventional materials due primarily to its low density.
While mycelium proposes interesting implications as a structural material, there are several significant disadvantages that make it difficult to be practically implemented in large-scale projects.
For instance, it requires a constant source of air in order to stay alive, needs a relatively humid habitat to grow, and cannot be exposed to large amounts of water for fear of contamination and decay.
[14] Throughout a 4 stage process, the impact of various substrate and fungal mixes was investigated along with properties of mycelium such as density, water absorption, and compressive strength.
For each of the substrate-fungi mixtures, average densities ranged from 174.1 kg/m3 to 244.9 kg/m3, with the Ganoderma sessile fungi and apple substrate combination being the most dense.
The second approach uses existing formwork and adapts cast-in-place concrete techniques to grow monolithic mycelium structures in place.
The third approach is a hybrid of the previous two referred to as myco-welding, where individual pre-grown units are grown together into a larger monolithic structure.
[13] Studies using grow-in-place methods and myco-welding have explored how to cultivate mycelium and re-use formwork in construction and investigated post-tensioning and friction connections.
Research in fabrication has revealed some common challenges faced in construction of mycelium structures, mostly related to the growth of the fungi.
These properties are products of their biological processes, as they secrete corrosive enzymes that allow them to degrade and colonize organic substrates.
Some 83% of plants appear to exhibit mutualistic association with mycelium as an extension of their root systems, with varying levels of reliance.
Mycelium interacts with the cell at the periarbuscular membrane, which behaves as a sort of exchange medium for nutrients and can produce electrical gradients allowing for electrophysiological signals to be sent and received.
However, some examples of increased thermal resistance in filamentous fungi suggest a power-law relationship for memory and exposure to a stimulus.
[24] Mycelia have also demonstrated the ability to edit their genetic structures within a lifetime due to antibiotic or other extracellular stressors, which can cause rapid acquisition of resistance genes, like those in C.