In the sunshine of local weather change, the development trade like many others is contemplating the way it can cut back its carbon footprint and turn out to be extra sustainable.
One alternative is worried with bricks. Fired clay bricks have been the mainstay of the development trade however their manufacturing additionally emits practically 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide yearly, which may improve with extra urbanisation.
A brand new advance on this entrance is mycelium bricks. Mycelia are the branching filaments of fungi that make up its vegetative half. Researchers have them harnessed to create biodegradable, fire-resistant, and insulative bricks. They are made by combining husk, sawdust, and fungal spores to create a fibrous community that solidifies into a light-weight materials. Within a couple of days, these supplies turn out to be a hardier construction.
Mycelium bricks have the potential to cut back the constructing sector’s carbon footprint, its proponents have stated. They are comparatively extra light-weight and good insulators of warmth. Aside from potential use as panelling materials in inside designs, researchers imagine mycelium-based elements can be utilized in liquid filters, sports activities gear, and printed circuit boards.
But earlier than they will discover wider use, mycelium supplies want to enhance in some ways. At current they will’t bear heavier hundreds for longer intervals. One 2020 evaluate discovered that whereas mycelium composites have a excessive energy to weight ratio, it’s two orders of magnitude decrease than concrete. They are additionally vulnerable to moisture, biodegrade in a couple of years, and might’t be produced en masse.
“The cost of growing and treating fungi for construction purposes is currently higher due to lack of infrastructure,” Rakesh Jha, a civil engineer and the founder of Patna-based Veritech Infrastructure, stated.
India’s tropical climate exacerbates these issues. “Mycelium-based materials are not as strong as conventional materials like concrete or brick or steel. Due to mycelium being highly absorbent, it … vulnerable to moisture and fungal decay in India’s climate,” Jha added.
While mycelium is of course fire-resistant, extended publicity to warmth may trigger structural failure. Mycelium composites additionally soak up extra moisture than artificial foams and plywood, which is inimical for damp environments with leaking partitions or roofs. They additionally don’t resist termites.
But these are issues to be solved reasonably than causes to discard mycelium bricks. For instance: “Mycelium can be treated with non-toxic flame retardants that can enhance fire resistance, followed by a UV-protective coating that can prevent photo-degradation in outdoor applications,” Jha stated.
The greatest problem is shoppers’ perspective, which consultants have stated would require extra funding in analysis and growth, to make mycelium bricks extra aggressive with clay bricks, and consciousness campaigns to shift.
But because of local weather change and the arrival of ideas like high-performance buildings, curiosity is already rising in various and sustainable supplies. “This shift along with policy pushes can drive demand for sustainable alternatives and help in growing the market for mycelium,” Aditya Srinivas Kandaala, founder of Roha Biotech, a startup incubated at IIT Madras, stated.
Aditya Ansh is an impartial media journalist based mostly in New Delhi.
Published – March 13, 2025 06:00 am IST
