Two young designers have come up with a new sustainable insulation for building new homes — mushrooms! Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate Eben Bayer has patented “Greensulate” formula, an organic, fire-retardant board made of water, flour, oyster mushroom spores and perlite, a mineral blend found in potting soil.

“I think it has a lot of potential, and it could make a big difference in people’s lives,” said RPI Professor Burt Swersy, whose Inventor’s Studio course inspired the product’s creation. “It’s sustainable, and enviro-friendly, it’s not based on petrochemicals and doesn’t require much energy or cost to make it.”

Fox Utah writes:

After looking through about 800 patents, though, Bayer and McIntyre realized they’d hit upon a relatively original idea. Unlike many green building products, Greensulate isn’t made from pre-existing materials. It requires little energy or expense to produce because it’s grown from organic material.

identity theft divx online

Here’s how it works: A mixture of water, mineral particles, starch and hydrogen peroxide are poured into 7-by-7-inch molds and then injected with living mushroom cells. The hydrogen peroxide is used to prevent the growth of other specimens within the material.

Placed in a dark environment, the cells start to grow, digesting the starch as food and sprouting thousands of root-like cellular strands. A week to two weeks later, a 1-inch-thick panel of insulation is fully grown. It’s then dried to prevent fungal growth, making it unlikely to trigger mold and fungus allergies, according to Bayer. The finished product resembles a giant cracker in texture.

While it’s still more than a year from being available in stores, it’s certainly looks like it will pave the way for innovative green designs!

To read the full article, go here.