High performance thermal insulation mycelium-based materials and related methods

Abstract

Generally, mycelium-based materials with high performance thermal insulation properties and related methods are described.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (Technical field) Generally, mycelium-based materials (or mycelium-based materials or mycelium-based materials) having high thermal insulation properties and related methods are described. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0002] (Summary) This disclosure describes mycelium-based materials and related methods having high thermal insulation properties. An article may include a mycelium-based material that includes one or more elements or components of mycelium. The subject matter of this disclosure encompasses, in some cases, interrelated products for a particular problem, alternative solutions for a particular problem, and / or multiple different uses of one or more systems and / or multiple different uses of one or more articles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] In one embodiment, the following method is described, which comprises the following (or processes or steps): (c) cultivating (or a process or step) a mycelium (or mycelium) to produce (or form or produce or manufacture) a first grain spawn (or first grain spawn); Cultivating (or a process or step) the first grain spawn to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a mother spawn (or mother seed or mother spawn); and To form a colony (or a process or step of forming a colony or colonization or colonization or colonizing) on ​​a target substrate (or target base or target substrate or target substrate) using the mother spawn. In some embodiments, forming colonies comprises: Producing (or forming or generating) a first mixture of carbon dioxide and water; flowing the first mixture into a container containing a photosynthetic species; Producing (or forming or evolving) oxygen from photosynthetic species; To allow oxygen to flow to the Mother-Spawn, Producing (or forming or generating) a second mixture of carbon dioxide and water; flowing the second mixture into a container containing a photosynthetic species; Includes. In some embodiments, the method further comprises inactivating (or inactivating or deactivating) the mycelium (or mycelium).

[0004] In another aspect, a method is described, the method comprising: culturing the mycelium (or mycelium) to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a first grain spawn; culturing the first grain spawn to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a mother spawn; forming a colony on a target substrate using the mother spawn; inactivating (or inactivating or deactivating) the mother spawn and / or mycelium; Includes. In some embodiments, any one of the culturing steps includes feeding the mycelium with a nutrient material that has been treated with a mixture of acid and peroxide.

[0005] In another aspect, a method is described, the method comprising: culturing the mycelium (or mycelium) to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a first grain spawn; culturing the first grain spawn to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a mother spawn; forming a colony on a target substrate using the mother spawn; inactivating (or inactivating or deactivating) the mother spawn and / or mycelium; Includes. The step of forming colonies includes applying (or applying or imparting) an electric field (or electric field) to at least a portion of the mother spawn and / or the target substrate (or target base or target substrate).

[0006] In a different embodiment, a mycelium-based material is described, the mycelium-based material comprising: A plurality of hyphal filaments; A target substrate (or target base material or target substrate) mixed with multiple hyphal filaments. Including, The amount (wt%) of chitin (or chitin) in the mycelial filaments is 5 wt% or more; The thermal conductivity of mycelium-based materials is less than 0.03 W / m K. The heat of combustion (or heat of combustion) of the mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg; The porosity (or porousness or porosity or porosity) of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more.

[0007] In another aspect, a mycelium-based material is described, the mycelium-based material comprising: A plurality of hyphal filaments; A target substrate (or target base material or target substrate) mixed with multiple hyphal filaments. Including, The amount (wt%) of chitin (or chitin) in the mycelial filaments is 5 wt% or more; The thermal conductivity of mycelium-based materials is less than 0.1 W / m K. The heat of combustion (or heat of combustion) of the mycelium-based material is 17 MJ / kg or less; The porosity (or porousness or porosity or porosity) of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more.

[0008] In yet another aspect, a mycelium-based material is described, the mycelium-based material comprising: A plurality of hyphal filaments; A target substrate (or target base material or target substrate) mixed with multiple hyphal filaments. Including, the amount (wt%) of the target substrate in the mycelium-based material is 1 wt% or more; The thermal conductivity of mycelium-based materials is less than 0.1 W / m K. The heat of combustion (or heat of combustion) of the mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg; The porosity (or porousness or porosity or porosity) of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more.

[0009] In yet another aspect, a mycelium-based material is described, the mycelium-based material comprising: A plurality of hyphal filaments; A target substrate (or target base material or target substrate) mixed with multiple hyphal filaments. Including, a plurality of hyphal filaments are arranged to form (or produce) a disordered network; The thermal conductivity of mycelium-based materials is less than 0.1 W / m K. The heat of combustion (or heat of combustion) of the mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg; The porosity (or porousness or porosity or porosity) of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more.

[0010] Other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various non-limiting embodiments of the invention, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the event that the present specification and any documents incorporated by reference include conflicting and / or inconsistent disclosure, the present specification will control (or govern or control).

[0011] Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are schematic and are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component shown is typically designated with one number. For purposes of clarity, not all components are labeled in each drawing. Also, not all components of each embodiment of the present invention are shown. In each drawing, what is shown is not essential, and one skilled in the art can understand the present invention. The drawings are as follows: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of the growth (or propagation) of one or more grain spawn (or grain inoculum), starting from a mycelium culture (or culture or culture) (according to some embodiments). [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the growth (or propagation) of one or more grain spawn (or grain inoculum), starting from a mycelium culture (or culture or culture) (according to some embodiments). [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for applying (or applying or imparting) an electric current to mycelium (according to some embodiments). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] (Detailed Description) The present disclosure describes methods and articles that include mycelium. Mycelium forms the vegetative root portion of a fungus. And mycelium may have thread-like branched hyphae. Such hyphae can extend into a substrate. The methods described herein may be used to prepare a material that includes mycelium. Mycelium may be used to provide useful properties (e.g., structural support, low thermal conductivity) to mycelium-based materials. Alternatively, mycelium-based materials may include mycelium. Alternatively, the mycelium may contain one or more elements or components derived from the mycelium (e.g., hyphal filaments, mycelium cell walls). The mycelium is used to grow a material derived from a target substrate. The live mycelium within the material may then be substantially inactivated (or inactivated or deactivated) in some embodiments, such that the mycelium-based material is free of live mycelium, whereas the mycelium-based material contains elements or components derived from the mycelium.

[0014] The methods and articles described herein may have several advantages over certain existing methods for producing mycelium-based materials. As one advantage, the mycelium described herein may be constructed (or formed) (e.g., cultivated) to degrade (or at least partially degrade) a target substrate (e.g., a polymer or plastic). Such target substrates have been difficult to degrade using certain existing methods. In some cases, the target substrate may be at least partially or completely consumed by the mycelium.

[0015] As another advantage, the mycelium (i.e., the hyphae of the mycelium) may be tailored and adapted to degrade a particular target substrate or may otherwise be configured to degrade a particular target substrate. For example, if the target substrate is relatively hard and / or non-porous, the mycelium may produce harder or more rigid hyphae to penetrate into the target substrate. The mycelium may also produce compounds (e.g., enzymes) that further facilitate the degradation of the particular target substrate. In some cases, the mycelium-based material produced may benefit from degrading the particular target substrate. For example, when mycelium degrades a relatively hard target substrate, the resulting mycelium may be structurally stronger or contain a higher concentration of chitin in the hyphal filaments of the mycelium compared to when mycelium degrades a softer target substrate. Such advantages can be used to tailor or adjust the resulting mycelium-based material to have specific properties (e.g., hardness, thermal conductivity, fire resistance, heat resistance, etc.).

[0016] The mycelium can be grown by being provided with a substrate (or base or substrate) (e.g., a target substrate (or target substrate or target substrate)). In this context, the substrate (or base or substrate) is any material (or substance or material) in which the mycelium can digest or decompose. Alternatively, the substrate is any other nutrient supply (or nutrient feedstock). Such a nutrient supply can inoculate the mycelium, thereby producing (or forming or producing or manufacturing) the mycelium-based material. The substrate (or base or substrate) can be a variety of suitable materials (or substances or materials). In some embodiments, the substrate (or base or substrate) comprises a lignocellulosic material (or substance or material). In some embodiments, the substrate comprises a biomaterial, such as, but not limited to, hemp, flax, cotton, cork, sheep wool, wood, and / or coconut fiber. In some embodiments, the substrate (or base or substrate) can include a non-lignocellulosic (or non-lignocellulosic) material (eg, a synthetic material). In some embodiments, the substrate (or base or substrate) can include a plastic or polymer. Non-limiting examples of suitable polymers include polyethylene (e.g., low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene), polypropylene, polyurethane, and / or polystyrene. Those skilled in the art will be able to select a suitable substrate (or base material or substrate) for the mycelium after having read the teachings of this disclosure.

[0017] In some embodiments, the substrate (or base or substrate or substrate) (e.g., target substrate (or target substrate or target substrate or target substrate)) has a particular hardness (or stiffness or hardness). The hardness (or stiffness or hardness) of the substrate (or base or substrate or substrate) can be measured using Young's elastic modulus. In some embodiments, the Young's elastic modulus of the substrate is 1 GPa or more, 5 GPa or more, 10 GPa or more, 20 GPa or more, 30 GPa or more, 40 GPa or more, 50 GPa or more, 75 GPa or more, 100 GPa or more, 110 GPa or more, 120 GPa or more, or 130 GPa or more. In some embodiments, the Young's modulus of the substrate is 130 GPa or less, 120 GPa or less, 110 GPa or less, 100 GPa or less, 75 GPa or less, 50 GPa or less, 40 GPa or less, 30 GPa or less, 20 GPa or less, 10 GPa or less, 5 GPa or less, or 1 GPa or less. Also, combinations of the above listed ranges are possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1 GPa and less than or equal to 130 GPa).

[0018] As noted above, the target substrate (or target base material or target substrate) can be selected to impart one or more desired physical and / or chemical properties to the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) the mycelium-based material, the mycelium consumes the target substrate completely, however, in other embodiments, the target substrate is only partially consumed, such that the mycelium-based material that is produced (or generated) includes at least some of the target substrate. Upon consuming the target substrate, the mycelium-based material may acquire desired properties as a result of the target substrate or another chemical species of the mycelium (e.g., increased concentration (e.g., mass percent (or wt%), weight percent (or wt%), mole fraction) of a structural component (e.g., chitin, a polysaccharide) in the mycelium (e.g., hyphal filaments). In some embodiments, consumption of the target substrate can alter (eg, increase) the amount of a non-structural component (eg, the amount of a protein or other mycelial metabolic product in a mycelium-based material). One of skill in the art, having seen the teachings of this disclosure, can determine whether the target substrate is completely consumed, or alternatively, whether the target substrate is only partially consumed, such that the mycelium-based final product (or final product or end product) contains at least some of the target substrate.

[0019] To produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a mycelium-based material, a mycelium culture is developed. The mycelium culture can be used to inoculate a target substrate or to form colonies (or colonize or colonize or colonize) a target substrate. Thus, the methods described herein may include culturing mycelium. In some embodiments, the mycelium culture is maintained in its exponential growth phase, thereby achieving a relatively high growth rate of the mycelium. Various culture techniques are known. For example, the mycelium may be cultured using petri dishes or liquid media (i.e., liquid cultures) containing nutrient materials (e.g., malt extract, yeast). The mycelium may be grown for selection of certain characteristics (e.g., growth rate, metabolism), which may be useful in the production of mycelium-based materials. In some embodiments, a single species of mycelium is cultured, however, in other embodiments, more than one species of mycelium can be cultured.

[0020] The mycelium can be cultured under suitable conditions to promote mycelial growth. For example, the temperature at which the mycelium grows can be regulated (or adjusted or controlled) and can be at a temperature of 4°C or higher, 5°C or higher, 6°C or higher, 7°C or higher, 8°C or higher, 9°C or higher, 10°C or higher, 15°C or higher, 20°C or higher, 21°C or higher, 22°C or higher, 23°C or higher, 24°C or higher, 25°C or higher, 26°C or higher, 27°C or higher, 28°C or higher, 29°C or higher, or 30°C or higher. In some embodiments, the growth temperature (or proliferation temperature) at which the mycelium is cultured is 30°C or less, 29°C or less, 28°C or less, 27°C or less, 26°C or less, 25°C or less, 24°C or less, 23°C or less, 22°C or less, 21°C or less, 20°C or less, 15°C or less, 10°C or less, 9°C or less, 8°C or less, 7°C or less, 6°C or less, 5°C or less, or 4°C or less. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 20° C. and less than or equal to 30° C.). Other ranges are also possible.

[0021] In some embodiments, the mycelium may generate heat during its cultivation and growth. And, in some such embodiments, this heat may be used to passively maintain the temperature in the incubation space (no external heater required). This can reduce the energy used and costs in culturing the mycelium. However, in some embodiments, a heater (and / or air conditioner (e.g., such as those used in HVAC systems)) may be used to regulate the growth temperature of the mycelium. In some embodiments, one or more sensors may be used to determine the growth temperature of the mycelium (i.e., to determine the temperature of the environment in which the mycelium is cultured), and the one or more sensors may be configured (e.g., by connection to a heater and / or air conditioner) to adjust the temperature to a desired growth temperature.

[0022] In some cases, classical breeding (or strain breeding) may be applied to mycelial cultures, whereby mycelia with characteristics suitable for a particular application may be grown from a range of wild type strains (e.g., non-bred strains) to develop unique strains tailored for a desired use (or application) of the mycelium-based material. In some such embodiments, alterations (or variables), such as lignocellulose degradation, spawn run speed (i.e., colonization speed), and / or resistance to other microorganisms, may be beneficial genetic traits and are selectively used.

[0023] In some embodiments, basidiospores (reproductive spores produced (or formed or produced or manufactured) by at least some of the mycelium) are harvested, from which monokaryons (progeny (or offspring)) are grown (or propagated). Compatible mating types may then be brought together to form dikaryotic (or dikaryon) mycelium. These may have twice the amount of genetic information available. These progeny (or offspring) may be tested on the target substrate. In some embodiments, isolates that favorably interact with the target substrate may be selected, combined, and subjected to successive repeated breeding cycles, ultimately resulting in the accumulation of beneficial mutations and speciation of the mycelium. Differentiation and evolution of specimens can be confirmed in antagonism experiments and random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

[0024] Mycelial cultures may be further developed by allowing the mycelial culture to be inoculated with a nutrient "grain" for the mycelium to digest. As the grain is digested, the mycelial population increases and the "grain spawn" may expand in size. Such grain spawn may be continuously grown. A portion of a first grain of mycelium may be removed and placed on a second grain of mycelium to inoculate. However, it should be understood that the mycelium may be inoculated with nutrient materials other than grains (e.g., complex nutrient substrates). Such disclosure is not intended to be limiting.

[0025] FIG. 1A is a flow diagram showing the production of grains from an initial culture of mycelium. In FIG. 1A, mycelium 110 (derived from a culture of mycelium) is provided with nutritional material 120 (e.g., “grain”) to produce first grain spawn 130. First grain spawn 130 comprises mycelium grown from the culture of mycelium 110. The nutritional material 120 may include compounds that promote the growth (or proliferation) of mycelium (e.g., grains, feedstock, malt extract, yeast), as well as other ingredients (e.g., enzymes, enzyme production enhancers).

[0026] The mycelium grown in the first grain spawn may be used to produce additional mycelium in the second grain spawn (or second grain spawn). For example, as shown in schematic form in FIG. 1A, additional nutrient material 122 may be provided to the first grain spawn 130 to produce a second grain spawn 132, which includes newly grown mycelium from the first grain spawn 130. In some cases where the nutrient material is different, the same nutrient material used to produce the first grain spawn may have the same material composition as the nutrient material used to produce the second grain spawn. That is, in some embodiments, the nutrient material 120 and the nutrient material 122 may be the same. However, in other embodiments, nutrient material 120 and nutrient material 122 are different. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, a second grain spawn (or a first grain spawn) may be used to produce (or form or generate or produce) a mother spawn (or mother spawn) 140, as described in more detail below. The mother spawn may include mycelium (or mycelium) that may be used to colonize (or colonize or colonize) a substrate (e.g., a target substrate (or target substrate or target substrate)).

[0027] The nutritional material may be a nutrient substance. Alternatively, the nutritional material may include a nutrient substance. Such a nutrient substance is one that can be used to feed the mycelium to grow the mycelium. In some cases, the nutritional material may become more complex from the first grain spawn to subsequent grain spawns (e.g., the second grain spawn, the third grain spawn, the fourth grain spawn, etc.). For example, the nutritional material used to feed the initial culture of mycelium may include relatively simple nutritional materials (e.g., malt extract, yeast, simple carbohydrates). On the other hand, the subsequent nutrient material may include relatively more complex (e.g., more difficult to digest) nutrient materials (e.g., plant-based materials, grasses, grains, seeds, husks, wood-based waste streams). Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory, the presence of more difficult to digest nutrients may affect the composition of the mycelium cells, for example, shifting the concentrations of lipids, proteins, and chitin to higher concentrations. Furthermore, with more complex and / or more difficult to digest nutrient materials, the tips of the mycelium hyphae may become stiffer and more durable in order to accommodate the pressure of penetrating the stiffer or more complex nutrient materials. In some cases, these compositional changes may favorably affect the quality of the mycelium-based material (e.g., stiffness, hydrophobicity, non-flammability). In some embodiments, the nutrient material includes at least some target substrate (or target base or target substrate) so that the mycelium is exposed to the target substrate during mycelial growth (or proliferation).This may allow for, or aid in, developing desirable properties of the mycelium-based material.

[0028] As used in this disclosure, grain refers to a feedstock used to grow or inoculate mycelium. Thus, a "grain spawn" is a mixture of nutrient material (e.g., grain) and mycelium. A first grain spawn is produced from an initial amount of mycelium (e.g., from a culture of mycelium) and nutrient material. In some embodiments, the additional grain spawn can be produced (or formed or generated or manufactured) using the first grain spawn or the second grain spawn. For example, the first grain spawn (or at least a portion, e.g., 10% by weight, of the first grain spawn) may be used to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) the second grain spawn. A second grain spawn may be used, thereby producing (or forming or generating or manufacturing) a third grain spawn. A third grain spawn may be used to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a fourth grain spawn (and so forth). Each subsequent grain spawn may contain at least a portion of the mycelium derived from the previous grain spawn. For example, in FIG. 1B, a mycelium culture 110 is mixed with a feedstock to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a first grain spawn 130. Thereafter, at least a portion of the first grain spawn 130 is used to thereby produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a second grain spawn 132. At least a portion of the second grain spawn 132 is used to thereby produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a third grain spawn 134.

[0029] In some embodiments, the grain spawn is generated (or formed) using 1 weight percent (wt%) or more, 2 weight percent or more, 3 weight percent or more, 4 weight percent or more, 5 weight percent or more, 7 weight percent or more, 10 weight percent or more, 12 weight percent or more, 15 weight percent or more, 18 weight percent or more, 20 weight percent or more, 25 weight percent or more, or 30 weight percent or more of the total desired amount of grain spawn. In some embodiments, the grain spawn is generated (or formed) using 30 weight percent (wt%) or less, 25 weight percent or less, 20 weight percent or less, 18 weight percent or less, 15 weight percent or less, 12 weight percent or less, 10 weight percent or less, 7 weight percent or less, 5 weight percent or less, 4 weight percent or less, 3 weight percent or less, 2 weight percent or less, or 1 weight percent or less of the total desired amount of grain spawn. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1% and less than or equal to 30% by weight). Other ranges are also possible. As a hypothetical illustrative example, if 100 g of a second grain spawn is desired, 10 g (i.e., 10% by weight of the 100 g) of the first grain spawn may be used to generate (or form) such second grain spawn, while the remaining 90 g of the second grain spawn includes nutritional materials or other ingredients (or elements or components) (e.g., enzyme production enhancers, mediators, etc.).

[0030] In some embodiments, the nutrient material is subjected to a process (or treatment or step) of pasteurization (or pasteurization or heat sterilization) (e.g., before introducing the nutrient material to the mycelium). This process may be used to remove or reduce the amount of any potential pathogens or contaminants (or pollutants or contaminants or contaminations) that may inhibit the growth (or proliferation) of the mycelium. A variety of suitable pasteurization processes may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the nutritional material is subjected to steam pasteurization. In some embodiments, the nutritional material is autoclaved. In some embodiments, the nutritional material is subjected to chemical pasteurization (eg, pasteurization with hydrogen peroxide, as described in more detail below).

[0031] In some embodiments, the nutrient material may comprise a mixture of acids and / or peroxides or may be treated with such a mixture (e.g., before introducing the nutrient material to the mycelium). This means that culturing (or culturing step) may include providing (or feeding or feeding) the mycelium with nutrient material, where the nutrient material has been treated with a mixture of acids and peroxides. Acids or peroxides may be used independently or in combination to reduce or minimize microorganisms in the nutrient material, similar to other pasteurization processes (e.g., steam pasteurization). The use of acids and / or peroxides to treat nutrient materials may be particularly advantageous when relatively large amounts of nutrient material can be treated, as the acid and / or peroxide solutions can better break down the material and enhance the nutritional availability of nutrients to the mycelium.

[0032] A combination of an acid and a peroxide may be particularly advantageous. In some embodiments, the oxidizing ability of hydrogen peroxide may be increased by combining an acid with a peroxide (e.g., hydrogen peroxide). Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory, such a combination may generate (or produce or form or manufacture) reactive oxygen species (or oxygen species) in addition to heat. Such reactive oxygen species may enhance the reduction in the amount of microorganisms present in the nutrient material compared to the use of either the acid or the peroxide separately. In some cases, once the nutrient material is treated with a mixture of acid and / or peroxide, such mixture may be neutralized or rendered chemically inert. In doing so, such mixture will not inhibit or inactivate mycelium present in the grain spawn or mother spawn.

[0033] In some embodiments, the acid and peroxide mixture includes citric acid and / or hydrogen peroxide, although a variety of acids and / or peroxides may be used in such mixtures. Non-limiting examples of acids include organic acids (eg, citric acid, acetic acid), phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and / or sulfuric acid. Non-limiting examples of peroxides include hydrogen peroxide (eg, H2O2 (30% H2O by weight)), organic peroxides (eg, benzoyl peroxide), or other peroxides.

[0034] In some embodiments, the concentration of peroxide (e.g., hydrogen peroxide) in a solution used to treat a nutritional material (or nutritional substance) is 1 weight percent (wt%) or more, 3 weight percent or more, 5 weight percent or more, 7 weight percent or more, 10 weight percent or more, 15 weight percent or more, 20 weight percent or more, 30 weight percent or more, or 35 weight percent or more of the solution. In some embodiments, the peroxide concentration in the solution used to treat the nutritional material (or nutritional substance) is 10 weight percent (wt%) or less, 7 wt% or less, 5 wt% or less, 3 wt% or less, or 1 wt% or less of the solution. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1% and less than or equal to 10% by weight). Other ranges are also possible.

[0035] In some embodiments, the pK of the acid used a is 5 or less, 4 or less, 3 or less, 2 or less, 1 or less, 0 or less, -1 or less, -2 or less, or -3 or less. In some embodiments, the pK of the acid a is -3 or greater, -2 or greater, -1 or greater, 0 or greater, 1 or greater, 2 or greater, 3 or greater, 4 or greater, or 5 or greater. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 4). Other ranges are also possible.

[0036] Culturing (or culturing step) may also include providing an enzyme production enhancer (or enzyme production enhancer) to the grain spawn (e.g., first grain spawn, second grain spawn). The enzyme production enhancer may increase the amount of enzyme produced (or formed or produced or manufactured) by the mycelium. This may improve the growth (or proliferation) of the mycelium. Alternatively, it may aid the mycelium in the breakdown of the substrate (or base material or substrate or substrate). In some embodiments, an enzyme production enhancer may be included to increase (or upregulate) expression of genes suitable for digestion of the target substrate. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the enzyme production enhancer may increase transcription of an enzyme of interest (e.g., lignin digestive enzymes such as laccase and peroxidase), and the enzyme production enhancer may be added during the grain spawn stage (or phase) prior to introducing the target substrate (e.g., first grain spawn, second grain spawn, third grain spawn). In some embodiments, enzyme production enhancers include metal ions or metal salts (eg, copper salts), ammonium salts, sulfate salts, peptone water, and / or organic compounds (eg, xylidines).

[0037] In some embodiments, the mycelium is cultivated in the presence of a mediator. As used in this context, a mediator is an organic compound. Such an organic compound may be oxidized by an enzyme (e.g., laccase) produced by the mycelium, thereby forming, without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, highly reactive cation radicals (or cationic groups), which can oxidize non-phenolic compounds that cannot be oxidized by laccase alone. In some embodiments, the mediator includes NHPI (N-hydroxyphthalimide), VLA (violuric acid (5-isonitrosobarbituric acid)), TEMPO (2,2',6,6'-tetramethylpiperidine), TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) and / or NHA (N-hydroxy-N-phenylacetamide).

[0038] In some embodiments, the first grain spawn or the second grain spawn may be used to produce (or form or generate or produce) a mother spawn. The mother spawn may comprise a mycelium. Such mycelium is developed from the grain spawn and then conditioned to form colonies on one or more target substrates. For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 1A, the second grain spawn 132 produces (or form or generate or produce) the mother spawn 140. However, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the mother spawn 140 may be produced (or form or generate or produce) from the first grain spawn 130. This means that in some cases, the second grain spawn 132 and / or any subsequent grain spawn may be optional. And, although not shown, some embodiments may have one or more additional grain spawn (e.g., a third grain spawn, a fourth grain spawn, a fifth grain spawn, etc.) which may be the source of the mother spawn. One of ordinary skill in the art, having seen the teachings of this disclosure, can determine the number of grain spawn used to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) the mother spawn.

[0039] The mother spawn includes mycelium that can be used to colonize a substrate (e.g., a target substrate). In some embodiments, a substrate (or base material or substrate) can be colonized (or colonized or colonized or colonizing) using a plate culture (or plate culture) of mycelium or a liquid culture (or liquid culture) of mycelium. In some embodiments, forming colonies (or colonization or colonization or colonizing) comprises mixing mycelium with the target substrate. Upon colonization of the target substrate, the mother spawn mycelium can disrupt or degrade (at least partially disrupt or degrade) the target substrate. The mycelium then grows (or proliferates) and produces (or forms or produces or manufactures) new mycelium that has properties associated with or derived from the target substrate. In some embodiments, the mycelium only partially degrades the target substrate, such that at least a portion of the initial (or original) target substrate is present in the resulting mycelium-based material or product. In some embodiments, the amount of target substrate in the mycelium-based material is 1 weight percent (wt%) or more, 3 wt% or more, 5 wt% or more, 10 wt% or more, 15 wt% or more, 20 wt% or more, 25 wt% or more, 30 wt% or more, 40 wt% or more, 50 wt% or more, 60 wt% or more, or 70 wt% or more, based on the total weight of the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, the amount of target substrate in the mycelium-based material is 70 weight percent (wt%) or less, 60 wt% or less, 50 wt% or less, 40 wt% or less, 30 wt% or less, 25 wt% or less, 20 wt% or less, 15 wt% or less, 10 wt% or less, 5 wt% or less, 3 wt% or less, or 1 wt% or less, based on the total weight of the mycelium-based material. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1% and less than or equal to 70% by weight). Other ranges are also possible. However, in other embodiments, the target substrate is significantly consumed by the mycelium such that the target substrate is minimally present (e.g., less than 1% by weight, 0.1% by weight or less) to completely absent in the resulting mycelium-based material or product.

[0040] In some cases, mycelium consume oxygen (e.g., oxygen gas) because they form colonies or grow (or proliferate) and produce (or form or generate or manufacture) water and carbon dioxide as by-products (or by-products). In some such embodiments, the carbon dioxide and water produced by the mycelium may flow to one or more photosynthetic organisms. The photosynthetic organisms may then consume the carbon dioxide and water, thereby producing oxygen that can flow back to the mycelium. In this way, a circular loop or closed system may be maintained, in which the mycelium provides carbon dioxide and water to the photosynthetic species, which in turn provide oxygen to the mycelium or its derivatives. The mycelium or its derivatives may produce more carbon dioxide, thereby providing carbon dioxide to the photosynthetic species. In such embodiments, the system may advantageously reduce or eliminate the release of carbon dioxide from the mycelium and may help to control or regulate the environment of the mycelium. Thus, in some embodiments, the process of forming colonies (or colonization or colonization or colonizing) comprises the following (or process or steps): Producing (or forming or producing or manufacturing) a first mixture of carbon dioxide and water; flowing the first mixture into a container containing photosynthetic species and / or a controlled environment (e.g., a greenhouse); Producing (or forming or producing or manufacturing) oxygen from photosynthetic species; allowing oxygen to flow through the mycelium (wherein, in some embodiments, the mycelium may be contained in a culture or incubation room); Producing (or forming or producing or manufacturing) a second mixture of carbon dioxide and water; and / or Flowing a second mixture (a mixture of carbon dioxide and water) into a container containing photosynthetic species and / or into a controlled environment. In some embodiments, the closed loop may be maintained in a continuous or cyclical manner, such that the mycelium and the photosynthetic species provide carbon dioxide / water and oxygen to each other in continuous supply.

[0041] In some embodiments, an electric current or electric field may be applied before, during, or after culturing the mycelium. In general, electricity (or electric current or power or electricity) can promote mycelial growth during mycelial cultivation or during colonization of a substrate (or base or substrate or substrate). In some embodiments, forming colonies (or colonization or colonization or colonizing) includes applying an electric field (or electric field) to at least a portion of the mother spawn and / or the target substrate (or target base or target substrate or target substrate). Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory, mycelium may grow (or proliferate) spontaneously in a radial manner from a point location or a central location. However, it is recognized in the context of the present disclosure that the radial growth (or proliferation) of mycelium may be stopped or interrupted by applying an electric current or electric field (or electric field) to the mycelium. In doing so, the arrangement (or sequence or alignment or arrangement) or orientation (or orientation) of mycelium in the mycelium-based material may be altered (e.g., adjusted (or regulated), controlled (or controlled), shaped) during growth (or proliferation). This may be advantageously used to control the direction of mycelial growth, and such mycelia may be used to selectively control the orientation of mycelia in mycelium-based materials. Also, in some embodiments, the application (or application or imparting) of electric current may increase the rate (or rate or rate) of mycelial growth (or proliferation). Additionally, in some embodiments, the application of an electric field or current may be used to control the direction of mycelium growth, such that additional molding or shaping (e.g., growing the mycelium-based material inside a mold) is not required.

[0042] The electric field or current may be applied in any suitable manner, for example, in some embodiments, electrodes connected to a potentiostat may be used to apply a voltage to the mycelium. In some embodiments, an electric potential of 1 V or more, 10 V or more, 20 V or more, 25 V or more, 50 V or more, 100 V or more, 250 V or more, 500 V or more, 1 kV or more, 2 kV or more, 3 kV or more, 4 kV or more, 5 kV or more, or 10 kV or more is applied (or imposed or imparted) to the mycelium (e.g., during cultivation, colony formation). In some embodiments, the electrical potential is 10 kV or less, 5 kV or less, 4 kV or less, 3 kV or less, 2 kV or less, 1 kV or less, 500 V or less, 250 V or less, 100 V or less, 50 V or less, 25 V or less, 20 V or less, 10 V or less, or 1 V or less. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (e.g., 1 V or more and 10 V or less applied to the mycelium). Other ranges are also possible.

[0043] In some embodiments, the voltage or current applied (or impressed or imparted) to the mycelium is pulsed (eg, 1 second pulse, 10 second pulse, 1 minute pulse, 10 minute pulse). In some such embodiments, the orientation of the mycelium is made disordered or random by pulsing the electrical current, which can advantageously increase the strength of the resulting mycelium-based material.

[0044] In some embodiments, the mycelium may be inactivated (or inactivated or deactivated) or otherwise rendered biologically inactive (or inactivated). In this way, the mycelium-based material contains relatively little or no living mycelium. While there may be relatively little or no living mycelium in the mycelium-based material, the mycelium components (e.g., hyphal filaments, proteins, lipids) may be maintained in the mycelium-based material. It should also be understood that the orientation of mycelial growth (or proliferation) may remain intact (e.g., when controlled by an electric current or electric field) even after inactivation of the mycelium. In some embodiments, the mycelium is inactivated (or inactivated or deactivated) during or after colonization of the substrate (or base material or substrate) (eg, the target substrate). In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium can also aid in the hardening (or curing or curing) of the mycelium-based material.

[0045] In some embodiments, the inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium comprises a first inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) step (or step), optionally a second inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) step (or step), and / or an additional inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) step (or step). The first inactivation step may at least partially inactivate (or inactivate or deactivate) the mycelium (e.g., may inactivate at a relatively lower temperature), whereas a subsequent inactivation step may more completely inactivate (or inactivate or deactivate) the mycelium (e.g., may inactivate at a relatively higher temperature). Various techniques may be used to inactivate the mycelium, some of which are described in more detail below.

[0046] In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium includes heating and / or dehydrating the mycelium. Any suitable technique may be used to heat and / or dehydrate the mycelium, including, but not limited to, vacuum pumps, dry ovens, vacuum ovens, heaters, and chemical dehydration agents.

[0047] In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium (e.g., a first inactivation step) comprises heating the mycelium to a temperature of 40°C or more, 50°C or more, 60°C or more, 70°C or more, 80°C or more, 90°C or more, or 100°C or more. In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium comprises heating the mycelium to a temperature of 100°C or less, 90°C or less, 80°C or less, 70°C or less, 70°C or less, 50°C or less, or 40°C or less. Combinations of the above-cited ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 100° C.). Other ranges are also possible.

[0048] In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium (e.g., first inactivation step, second inactivation step) comprises heating the mycelium to a temperature of 110°C or higher, 120°C or higher, 130°C or higher, 140°C or higher, 150°C or higher, 160°C or higher, 170°C or higher, 180°C or higher, 190°C or higher, 200°C or higher, 210°C or higher, or 220°C or higher. In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium comprises heating the mycelium to a temperature of 220°C or less, 210°C or less, 200°C or less, 190°C or less, 180°C or less, 170°C or less, 160°C or less, 150°C or less, 140°C or less, 130°C or less, 120°C or less, or 110°C or less. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 110° C. and less than or equal to 180° C.). Other ranges are also possible.

[0049] In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium includes applying (or providing) radio frequency (or radio frequency) (e.g., microwave (or microwave)) to the mycelium. In some cases, applying (or providing) radio frequency to the mycelium thermally activates the mycelium (or one or more elements (or elements or components) within or adjacent to the mycelium, e.g., nutrient materials), while avoiding exposing the mycelium to direct heat. Any suitable method may be used to provide the radio frequency.

[0050] In some embodiments, inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the mycelium comprises lyophilization (i.e., freeze drying (or freeze-drying)). Lyophilization can be accomplished, for example, using a laboratory or commercially available lyophilizer.

[0051] As described above, mycelium may be used to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) a mycelium-based material. The mycelium-based material includes one or more elements (or elements or components) of mycelium (e.g., mycelial filaments). The mycelium-based material may be an end product (or end product or finished product or final product). The end product may be one that can be sold or used, for example, as insulation for a house or building. Alternatively, the mycelium-based material may be a precursor (or precursor) to an end product (or end product or finished product or final product). The precursor may be one that can be further processed (e.g., dried).

[0052] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based material comprises a plurality of hyphal filaments. The hyphal filaments provide support and structure to the mycelium. They may also be used to provide support and structure to the mycelium-based material, along with other properties, even after the mycelium has been inactivated. In some embodiments, the hyphal filaments may be combined with a target substrate. This may also help provide support to the mycelium-based material. In some cases, the hyphal filaments comprise compounds (e.g., chitin and / or polysaccharides). Such compounds may impart desired properties to the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, the plurality of hyphal filaments remain intact or undisrupted in the mycelium-based material. However, in other embodiments, at least a portion of the contents of the hyphal filaments of the mycelium may be disrupted, such that compounds within the mycelium are disrupted in the mycelium-based material.

[0053] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based material has a particular weight percentage (or weight percentage or weight %) of chitin (or chitin) in the hyphal filaments or in the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, the amount of chitin (or chitin) (wt%) is 1 weight percent (wt%) or more, 3 wt% or more, 5 wt% or more, 10 wt% or more, 12 wt% or more, 15 wt% or more, 18 wt% or more, 20 wt% or more, 25 wt% or more, 30 wt% or more, 40 wt% or more, or 50 wt% or more, based on the total weight of the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, the amount of chitin (or chitin) (wt%) is 50 weight percent (wt%) or less, 40 wt% or less, 30 wt% or less, 25 wt% or less, 20 wt% or less, 18 wt% or less, 15 wt% or less, 12 wt% or less, 10 wt% or less, 5 wt% or less, or 3 wt% or less, or 1 wt% or less, based on the total weight of the mycelium-based material. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (e.g., 1 wt% or more and 50 wt% or less). Other ranges are also possible. In some embodiments, the chitin in the mycelium-based material (e.g., a plurality of mycelial filaments) may provide the mycelium-based material with improved fire resistance (e.g., relatively lower thermal conductivity and / or increased heat of combustion). The amount of chitin (wt%) in the mycelium-based material can be determined using a chitin assay. Chitin assays can be performed by deproteinization and / or deacetylation of the mycelium-based material. The mycelium-based material can then be depolymerized to produce (or form or generate or manufacture) glucosamine, and a glucosamine assay can be used to indirectly determine (or measure) the amount of chitin (or chitin) in the mycelium-based material. A person skilled in the art can select a suitable glucosamine assay to determine (or measure) the amount of chitin (or chitin) in the mycelium-based material.

[0054] In some embodiments, there is a certain amount of water present in the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, the amount of water present in the mycelium-based material is 20 weight percent (wt%) or less, 15 wt% or less, 12 wt% or less, 10 wt% or less, 7 wt% or less, 5 wt% or less, 3 wt% or less, or 1 wt% or less, based on the total weight of the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, the amount of water present in the mycelium-based material is 1 weight percent (wt%) or more, 3 wt% or more, 5 wt% or more, 7 wt% or more, 10 wt% or more, 12 wt% or more, 15 wt% or more, or 20 wt% or more, based on the total weight of the mycelium-based material. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1% and less than or equal to 20% by weight). Other ranges are also possible.

[0055] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based material may have a particular thermal conductivity, ie, the thermal conductivity of the mycelium-based material is 0.1 W / m·K or less, 0.09 W / m·K or less, 0.08 W / m·K or less, 0.07 W / m·K or less, 0.06 W / m·K or less, 0.05 W / m·K or less, 0.04 W / m·K or less, 0.03 W / m·K or less, or 0.02 W / m·K or less. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the mycelium-based material is 0.02 W / m·K or more, 0.03 W / m·K or more, 0.04 W / m·K or more, 0.05 W / m·K or more, 0.06 W / m·K or more, 0.07 W / m·K or more, 0.08 W / m·K or more, 0.09 W / m·K or more, or 0.1 W / m·K or more. Also, combinations of the above-listed ranges are possible (eg, greater than or equal to 0.02 W / m·K and less than or equal to 0.03 W / m·K). Other ranges are also possible. Thermal conductivity can be measured by the steady state technique using ASTM Standard Test C177-63.

[0056] The mycelium-based materials described in this disclosure may have a particular heat of combustion (or heat of combustion). In some embodiments, the heat of combustion (or heat of combustion) of the mycelium-based material is 30MJ / kg or less, 25MJ / kg or less, 20MJ / kg or less, 15MJ / kg or less, 10MJ / kg or less, 8MJ / kg or less, 5MJ / kg or less, 3MJ / kg or less, 2MJ / kg or less, or 1MJ / kg or less. In some embodiments, the heat of combustion (or heat of combustion) of the mycelium-based material is 1 MJ / kg or more, 2 MJ / kg or more, 3 MJ / kg or more, 5 MJ / kg or more, 8 MJ / kg or more, 10 MJ / kg or more, 15 MJ / kg or more, 20 MJ / kg or more, 25 MJ / kg or more, or 30 MJ / kg or more. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg and greater than or equal to 1 MJ / kg). Other ranges are also possible. In some embodiments, the heat of combustion of the mycelium-based material can be achieved in the absence of or without the application of a chemical coating or treatment. The heat of combustion of the mycelium-based material can be determined using a standard test, such as EN ISO standard test 1716:2018.

[0057] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based material has a particular porosity (e.g., an average porosity). In some embodiments, the porosity (or porosity or porosity) of the mycelium-based material is 70% or less, 60% or less, 50% or less, 40% or less, 35% or less, 30% or less, 25% or less, 20% or less, 15% or less, 10% or less, 5% or less, or 1% or less. In some embodiments, the porosity (or porosity or porousness or porosity) of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more, 5% or more, 10% or more, 15% or more, 20% or more, 25% or more, 30% or more, 35% or more, 40% or more, 50% or more, 60% or more, or 70% or more. Combinations of the above-listed ranges are also possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1% and less than or equal to 70%). Other ranges are also possible. Porosity and pore size distribution can be measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry using standard tests (e.g. standard test BS ISO 15901-01:2016).

[0058] The pores (or holes or pores) of the mycelium-based material may have any suitable size (or dimension and size) (eg, average cross-sectional pore size (or pore size or pore diameter)). In some embodiments, the average cross-sectional size (or diameter) of the pores is 1 nm or more, 2 nm or more, 5 nm or more, 10 nm or more, 20 nm or more, 30 nm or more, 40 nm or more, 50 nm or more, 75 nm or more, 100 nm or more, 250 nm or more, 500 nm or more, 1 micron (μm) or more, 10 microns or more, 20 microns or more, 25 microns or more, 50 microns or more, 100 microns or more, 200 microns or more, 300 microns or more, 400 microns or more, or 500 microns or more. In some embodiments, the average cross-sectional size (or diameter) of the pores is 500 microns (μm) or less, 400 microns or less, 300 microns or less, 200 microns or less, 100 microns or less, 50 microns or less, 25 microns or less, 20 microns or less, 10 microns or less, 1 micron or less, 500 nm or less, 250 nm or less, 100 nm or less, 75 nm or less, 50 nm or less, 40 nm or less, 30 nm or less, 20 nm or less, 10 nm or less, 5 nm or less, or less. Also, combinations of the above-listed ranges are possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm). Other ranges are also possible.

[0059] In some embodiments, the hyphal filaments of the mycelium-based material may be joined (or fused or condensed or fused) and / or cross-linked (or cross-linked). Without wishing to be bound by theory, when mycelium colonizes (or colonizes or colonizes or colonizing) and grows (or proliferates) on a target substrate, the ends (or tips) of the mycelium may extend (or extend or penetrate or invade) and be located (or inhabit) on the target substrate when the mycelium-based material is formed (or produced or manufactured). In some cases, the tips of the hyphae may become bridged between each other, which may advantageously improve the properties of the mycelium-based material (e.g., improved mechanical strength, improved fire resistance). In some cases, the tips of the hyphae may come into contact with the tips of other hyphae of the mycelium and may join (or fuse or condense or fuse) with each other. Advantageously, the joining (or fusion or condense or fuse) of hyphal filaments may also enhance (or improve) the properties of the mycelium-based material.

[0060] In some embodiments, hyphal filaments (e.g., multiple hyphal filaments) may have a particular orientation in the mycelium-based material. For example, in some embodiments, hyphal filaments may have a parallel or antiparallel arrangement. However, in some embodiments, hyphal filaments do not have a particular orientation. Also, hyphal filaments may be arranged in a random or disordered manner (e.g., a tortuous network).

[0061] The mycelium-based material may have any suitable thickness. In some embodiments, the thickness of the mycelium-based material is 1 mm or more, 2 mm or more, 3 mm or more, 4 mm or more, 5 mm or more, 6 mm or more, 7 mm or more, 8 mm or more, 9 mm or more, 10 mm or more, 15 mm or more, 20 mm or more, 25 mm or more, 30 mm or more, 40 mm or more, 50 mm or more, 60 mm or more, 70 mm or more, 75 mm or more, 80 mm or more, 90 mm or more, 100 mm or more, 110 mm or more, 120 mm or more, 130 mm or more, 140 mm or more, or 150 mm or more. In some embodiments, the thickness of the mycelium-based material is 150mm or less, 140mm or less, 130mm or less, 120mm or less, 110mm or less, 1cm or less, 90mm or less, 80mm or less, 75mm or less, 70mm or less, 60mm or less, 50mm or less, 40mm or less, 30mm or less, 25mm or less, 20mm or less, 15mm or less, 10mm or less, 9mm or less, 8mm or less, 7mm or less, 6mm or less, 5mm or less, 4mm or less, 3mm or less, 2mm or less, or 1mm or less. Also, combinations of the above-listed ranges are possible (eg, greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm). Other ranges are also possible.

[0062] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based material does not include a coating (or is coating-free). Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory, at least some of the beneficial and advantageous characteristics of the mycelium-based materials of the present disclosure can be achieved without applying a coating (or covering) to the mycelium-based material. In some such embodiments, this can enhance (or improve) the properties of the mycelium-based material (e.g., enhance (or improve) air flow (or airflow) through the mycelium-based material (versus a mycelium-based material having a coating (or covering) applied). However, it should be understood that in some embodiments, a coating (or covering) is present, as the present disclosure is not so limited.

[0063] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based materials described herein may be formed into any suitable shape. In some such embodiments, the mycelium-based materials may be free-form materials, where such materials do not conform to or follow any regular shape or structure. In some embodiments, the electric field or current may be used to shape the mycelium (e.g., into a regular shape, a freeform shape, etc.). For example, in some embodiments, the mycelium-based material may be formed or shaped by applying an electric current to the growing mycelium material, which may be used to direct the growth or orientation of the mycelium of the mycelium-based material. In some embodiments, a container or tray may be used to shape or aid in shaping the mycelium-based material into a particular shape. For example, mycelium (e.g., mother spawn) may be cultured or colonized in a container or tray, such that the mycelium-based material has the shape of the container or tray. One skilled in the art, having seen the teachings of this disclosure, can shape the mycelium-based material according to the desired application.

[0064] The methods and articles described in this disclosure may be used for any number of suitable uses (or applications), one exemplary use being the use of mycelium-based materials as insulation (or insulation) in architectural (or construction) settings (e.g., homes and buildings). In some embodiments, the mycelium-based materials described in the present disclosure may have relatively low thermal conductivity. Such thermal conductivity may make such materials particularly useful as thermal insulation materials. Because such materials are produced by living mycelium, the resulting bio-based insulation materials may be considered to be environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic materials (e.g., plastics).

[0065] In some embodiments, the mycelium-based materials described in this disclosure may be useful as fire retardant or flame resistant materials. In some cases, mycelium-based materials have a relatively low heat of combustion, which can enhance (or improve) the flame-retardant (or fire-retardant) properties of the material.

[0066] The following examples are intended to illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention, but do not exemplify the full scope of the invention. EXAMPLES

[0067] (Example) The following examples describe the manufacture (or preparation) of mycelium-based materials, starting with culturing mycelium, via inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of the live mycelium in the mycelium-based materials.

[0068] Culturing (or Culture) This stage was the starting point of the mycelium culture. It was transferred to a fresh plate, grown on rich agar, and then transferred to grain or transferred to a new plate. A variety of nutrient materials could be used. Plates were used to transfer and store the culture.

[0069] Plate Cultures Plate transfer was performed aseptically by transferring tissue samples from a parent plate to a new plate using either a hollow needle or a small cube of agar cut with a scalpel. Plates were incubated at temperatures between 21 and 30°C in a humidity-controlled environment to allow the mycelium to achieve an appropriate growth rate.

[0070] Liquid Cultures (or Liquid Cultures) Liquid cultures were also used to cultivate mycelium. Mycelium could be grown in liquid media by plate transfer, from cryostock, or in liquid media from another liquid culture. It could then be transferred to a more complex substrate or to new media. Different nutrient materials could be used. Liquid cultures could distribute the mycelium more evenly throughout the substrate. They could also be homogenized by blending or mixing to allow for even greater dispersion when poured into the substrate.

[0071] To prepare a liquid culture, a bottle of liquid medium is sterilized. After sterilization, the bottle is inoculated with mycelium of the selected strain and allowed to form colonies on the substrate. When used to inoculate a substrate, the amount of medium and mycelium is measured and poured onto the substrate, then mixed with the substrate.

[0072] Grain Spawn Mycelium from plate cultures or liquid cultures was transferred to grains (transferred to grain containers). In some cases, previously established grains were further expanded into larger grain containers. Various grains can be used or mixed, including but not limited to those described elsewhere in this disclosure. Grains were hydrated, sterilized, and inoculated with colonized grain spawn or plate cultures or liquid cultures were inoculated. Samples were incubated in a regulated environment at temperatures between 21-30°C.

[0073] Transfer of plates or liquids to grains In a sterile environment, mycelium from plate or liquid cultures is transferred to the prepared grains, mixed thoroughly, and stored in an incubation room at the appropriate temperature(s) (21-30°C) and observed for progress.

[0074] Grain-to-grain expansion (inoculation of fresh (or fresh, sterile) grains with a portion of a colonized grain) In a sterile environment, a portion of the colonized grain spawn was transferred to fresh grain (e.g., weighed to contain 2-40% fresh grain by weight) and then to a new container of grain, and this was repeated until all containers were colonized.

[0075] Pretreatment of the substrate (or base material or substrate or substrate) (process of treatment / sterilization + inoculation) In this process (or step or method), a substrate (e.g., an agricultural waste stream) is treated such that it is sterilized and subsequently inoculated and prepared for the growth (propagation) of mycelium.

[0076] In some cases, the steam pasteurization method was performed. The substrate was treated with steam. The heating cycle was considered complete after the substrate core temperature reached or exceeded 65-95°C for 5-30 minutes, depending on the specific application and substrate at issue. The substrate was then cooled and then inoculated with mycelium of the grain spawn.

[0077] In some cases, peroxide was also used to sterilize the substrate, either instead of or in combination with steam pasteurization. The desired amount of dry substrate to be treated was chemically sterilized with a dilute solution of peroxide.

[0078] Growing (or Propagating) Mycelium-Based Materials The pasteurized and inoculated substrate was molded or carved into the desired shape. The pasteurized and inoculated substrate was grown in an incubation room until colonies formed. The ambient humidity of the incubation room could be regulated to 60-95% humidity using an HVAC system. The temperature of each incubation space was maintained at a level appropriate for the strains used.

[0079] Current applied to mycelium In some cases, electricity (or current or power or electricity) was used to increase mycelial growth and / or change the direction or orientation of mycelial growth. Once the pasteurized and inoculated substrate was prepared for incubation, a voltage of up to 6 kV could be applied to the mycelium for set periods of time at various intervals. Growth was monitored. The time scale was inversely proportional to the voltage. For example, periods in minutes were used when applying a voltage of about 6 kV at intervals of 3 to 5 days, respectively.

[0080] A schematic diagram is shown in Figure 2. The setup can be easily redesigned and adjusted to fit different sizes and shapes.

[0081] Inactivation (or inactivation or deactivation) of mycelium The viable mycelium contained in the mycelium-based material was inactivated (or inactivated or deactivated). Once the growth (or proliferation) of the sample was complete, one or two of the following processes (or steps or methods) were used to inactivate (or inactivate or deactivate) the mycelium. (1) Dehydrating food using low temperatures for an extended period of time (2) Dehydration using higher temperatures for shorter periods of time The size (or dimensions or size) of the mycelium-based material determines the period of time required for the mycelium-based material to completely dry. By using a temperature probe, the temperature of the inner part of the mycelium-based material can be read and when the temperature reaches the desired value, the heating is stopped.

[0082] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described and are shown in this disclosure, those skilled in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and / or structures that perform the functions and / or obtain the results and / or one or more advantages described in this disclosure, and any such variations and / or modifications are deemed to be within the scope of this disclosure. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that: All of the parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described in this disclosure are meant to be exemplary; the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the specific application(s) to which the teachings of this disclosure are applied. Those skilled in the art will appreciate or be able to ascertain many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the present invention described in this disclosure without routine experimental procedures. It should therefore be appreciated that: The above-described embodiments are presented by way of example only. The present invention may also be practiced within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, as otherwise specifically described and claimed in the claims. The present disclosure relates to each individual feature, system, article, material, and / or method as described in the disclosure. Furthermore, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, and / or methods is encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure (provided that such features, systems, articles, materials, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent).

[0083] The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used in the specification and claims of this disclosure, should be understood to mean "at least one," unless expressly stated to the contrary.

[0084] The phrase "and / or" as used in the specification and claims of this disclosure should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements (or elements) so grouped together. That is, the elements (or elements) are in some cases present together and in other cases present separately. Other elements (or elements) may be present as appropriate (unless expressly indicated to the contrary) other than the element (or elements) specifically identified by the "and / or" clause. The other elements (or elements) may or may not be related to the specifically identified element (or elements). Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and / or B (or A and / or B, or A and / or B),” when used in conjunction with open-ended phrases (e.g., “comprising”), can mean: In one embodiment, A (without B) (which may optionally include elements other than B); In another embodiment, B (without A) (which may optionally include elements other than A); In yet another embodiment, both A and B (which may optionally include other components (or elements)); etc.

[0085] As used in the specification and claims of this disclosure, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" as defined above. For example, when separating listed items, "or" or "and / or" should be interpreted as inclusive, i.e., including at least one element (some elements or list of elements), including one or more elements, as appropriate, including additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicating the contrary, such as "only one of," or "exactly one of," or "consisting of" (as used in the claims), mean the inclusion of exactly one element (or elements) (or a number of elements or a list of elements (or enumerated elements)). In general, the term "or" as used in this disclosure shall only be construed as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e., "one or the other but not both") when preceded by an exclusive term (e.g., "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of"). "Consisting essentially of," when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0086] As used in the specification and claims of this disclosure, the phrase "at least one" refers to a list of one or more elements and should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list of elements, but does not require the inclusion of at least one of each and every element specifically listed in the list of elements, nor does it exclude any combination of elements in the list of elements. This provision (or definition) also allows that: other elements (or elements) may be present, if desired, other than the elements (or elements) specifically identified in the list (or enumeration) of elements (or elements) referred to by the phrase "at least one". The other elements (or elements) may or may not be related to the specifically identified element (or element). Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or, equivalently, "at least one of A or B" or, equivalently, "at least one of A and / or B") can mean: In one embodiment, it contains at least one A (optionally, one or more A) and no B (and may optionally contain elements other than B); In another embodiment, it comprises at least one B (optionally, one or more Bs) and no A (and may optionally comprise elements (or elements) other than A); In yet another embodiment, it comprises at least one A (optionally, one or more A's) and at least one B (optionally, one or more B's) (and may optionally comprise other components (or elements)); etc.

[0087] Some embodiments may be embodied as a method. Various examples of methods are described below. The acts (or steps or acts) performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Thus, embodiments may be made (or constructed) that perform the acts in an order different from that shown (which may include different acts (e.g., more or fewer acts than those described)) and / or may include some acts performed simultaneously, although in the specifically described embodiments above, the acts are shown as being performed sequentially.

[0088] For example, the use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," and "third" in the claims is intended to modify the elements of the claims and does not, per se, imply any priority, precedence, or ordering (the order in which an element of a claim takes precedence over elements of other claims) or chronology (the chronological order in which performance of a method is performed). However, they are merely used as labels to distinguish elements of a claim having a particular name from another element having the same name (although used as ordinal terms).

[0089] In the claims, as well as in the above specification, all transitional phrases, such as, for example, "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," etc., are to be understood as open-ended, that is, to mean inclusive and not limiting. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

Claims

1. 1. A mycelium-based material, comprising: Multiple hyphal filaments Including, The amount of chitin in the mycelial filaments is 5% by weight or more; the thermal conductivity of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 0.03 W / m K; the heat of combustion of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg; The porosity of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more. Mycelium-based material.

2. A mycelium-based material, the material comprising: Multiple hyphal filaments Including, The amount of chitin in the mycelial filaments is 5% by weight or more; the thermal conductivity of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 0.1 W / m K; the heat of combustion of said mycelium-based material is 17 MJ / kg or less; The porosity of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more. Mycelium-based material.

3. A mycelium-based material, the material comprising: A plurality of hyphal filaments; a target substrate mixed with said plurality of hyphal filaments; Including, the amount of said target substrate in said mycelium-based material is 1% by weight or more; the thermal conductivity of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 0.1 W / m K; the heat of combustion of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg; The porosity of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more. Mycelium-based material.

4. A mycelium-based material, the material comprising: Multiple hyphal filaments Including, said plurality of hyphal filaments arranged to form a disorganized network; the thermal conductivity of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 0.1 W / m K; the heat of combustion of said mycelium-based material is less than or equal to 30 MJ / kg; The porosity of the mycelium-based material is 1% or more. Mycelium-based material.

5. A mycelium-based material as described in claim 1, 2 or 4, further comprising a target substrate mixed with the plurality of hyphal filaments.

6. 6. The mycelium-based material of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the amount of chitin in the mycelial filaments is equal to or greater than 5% by weight of the mycelium-based material and / or equal to or less than 95% by weight of the mycelium-based material.

7. The mycelium-based material of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the target substrate is 5% or more by weight of the mycelium-based material.

8. 8. The mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said hyphal filaments are at least partially cross-linked or bonded.

9. 9. Mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the porosity of said mycelium-based material is equal to or greater than 1% and / or equal to or less than 70%.

10. 10. The mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the thickness of the mycelium-based material is 1 mm or more and / or 150 mm or less.

11. 11. The mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the amount of water present in the mycelium-based material is not more than 20% by weight.

12. The mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the mycelium-based material does not include a coating.

13. 13. The mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the substrate has a Young's modulus of 1 GPa or more and / or 130 GPa or less.

14. A mycelium-based material according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the nutrient material comprises the target substrate.

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