Composite material

Abstract

A composite material comprises a thermal insulation core (2) encapsulated by a protective cover material (3), wherein the thermal insulation core (2) is made of a mycelium-based material.

Description

[0001] COMPOSITE MATERIAL

[0002] The invention relates to a composite material, a container made of a composite material using mycelium, a method of manufacturing a composite material, and a method of manufacturing a container made of a composite material.

[0003] It is known to use mycelium to manufacture consumer products.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a composite material comprising a thermal insulation core encapsulated by a protective cover material, wherein the thermal insulation core is made of a mycelium-based material.

[0005] The thermal insulation core may be made of a combination of the mycelium-based material and the further material. The mycelium-based material and the further material may be combined in a myriad of ways. For example, the thermal insulation core may be made of a blended mix of the mycelium-based material and the further material.

[0006] Different further materials may be used in combination with the mycelium-based material to form the thermal insulation core. For example, the further material may be an agricultural waste material, a plant residue-based material, a crop residue-based material, a hemp-based material or a straw-based material.

[0007] The protective cover material may be water-resistant, water-repellent or waterproof.

[0008] The protective cover material may be made of a plastic material. For example, the plastic material may be a bioplastic material.

[0009] The protective cover material may be made of a polymeric material. For example, the polymeric material may be a biopolymeric material.

[0010] The protective cover material may be made of a biomaterial or a seaweed-based material.

[0011] The protective cover material may be rigid.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a container made of a composite material according to any one of the first aspect of the invention and its embodiments. The features and advantages of the preceding aspect of the invention and its embodiments apply mutatis mutandis to the features and advantages of the second aspect of the invention and its embodiments.

[0013] Preferably the container is a food container. More preferably the container is a fish or seafood box.

[0014] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a composite material according to any one of the first aspect of the invention and its embodiments, the method including the step of encapsulating a thermal insulation core with a protective cover material, wherein the thermal insulation core is made of a mycelium-based material.

[0015] The features and advantages of the preceding aspects of the invention and their embodiments apply mutatis mutandis to the features and advantages of the third aspect of the invention and its embodiments.

[0016] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a container according to any one of the first aspect of the invention and its embodiments, the method including the step of manufacturing the container from a composite material according to any one of the first aspect of the invention and its embodiments.

[0017] The features and advantages of the preceding aspects of the invention and their embodiments apply mutatis mutandis to the features and advantages of the fourth aspect of the invention and its embodiments.

[0018] It will be appreciated that the use of the terms "first" and "second", and the like, in this patent specification is merely intended to help distinguish between similar features, and is not intended to indicate the relative importance of one feature over another feature, unless otherwise specified.

[0019] Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, and the claims and / or the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and all features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0021] Figures 1 and 2 show a fish box according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0022] The figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic form in the interests of clarity and conciseness.

[0023] The following embodiments of the invention are described with reference to a fish box. It will be appreciated that the following embodiments of the invention apply mutatis mutandis to other types of containers.

[0024] Polystyrene is used to manufacture fish boxes due to its lightweight, water resistance and thermal insulation properties as well as its ability to maintain its structural integrity under damp and harsh logistic and storage conditions.

[0025] To date no viable alternative solution to polystyrene has been found for fish boxes. Millions of fish boxes are used annually by the fish and seafood industry, and this number is expected to increase in future to meet increased consumer demand for fish and seafood. This however creates an adverse environmental impact due to the singleuse nature of the polystyrene fish boxes. Due to the difficulty in recycling polystyrene, these fish boxes often end up in landfills.

[0026] A fish box 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The fish box 1 is made of a composite material. The composite material comprises a thermal insulation core 2 encapsulated by a protective cover material 3.

[0027] The thermal insulation core 2 is made of a blended mix of mycelium and hemp. In other embodiments of the invention, the hemp may be replaced by a different type of further material, non-limiting examples of which are described throughout the specification. The mycelium is grown around the hemp fibres to bind the mycelium and hemp together. For example, 5% of mycelium may be added to 95% hemp, and then the mycelium grows to form a thermal insulation core 2 with the hemp. The temperature and humidity of the surrounding environment are controlled to provide optimal growth conditions for the mycelium.

[0028] The protective cover material 3 is made of a rigid bioplastic material. The protective cover material 3 may be manufactured by, for example, thermoforming or injection moulding, followed by placing the thermal insulation core 2 inside the protective cover material 3 to form the fish box 1. The protective cover material 3 may be made of a single part or multiple parts. In other embodiments of the invention, the bioplastic material may be replaced by other types of protective cover materials, non-limiting examples of which are described throughout the specification.

[0029] The combination of the mycelium and hemp materials provides the fish box 1 with a thermal insulation core 2 having a thermal performance suitable for storing frozen fish or seafood. Meanwhile encapsulating the thermal insulation core 2 with the bioplastic material creates a strong, robust protective cover that is waterproof and food grade. The concept of fully encapsulating the mycelium and hemp material with the bioplastic material offers the unique advantages of all of the materials while providing a high compostability or recyclability due to the bulk of the materials forming the fish box 1 being natural products.

[0030] In this way the invention enables the provision of mycelium-based fish boxes to become a viable alternative to polystyrene-based fish boxes. Furthermore the invention enables high yield, cost-efficient production of a high quality and highly recyclable, non-industrial compostable packaging alternative that has a core made from 100% natural material at scale and is not harmful to the environment.

[0031] The listing or discussion of an apparently prior-published document or apparently prior- published information in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or information is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.

[0032] Preferences and options for a given aspect, feature or parameter of the invention should, unless the context indicates otherwise, be regarded as having been disclosed in combination with any and all preferences and options for all other aspects, features and parameters of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A composite material comprising a thermal insulation core encapsulated by a protective cover material, wherein the thermal insulation core is made of a myceliumbased material.

2. A composite material according to Claim 1 wherein the thermal insulation core is made of a combination of the mycelium-based material and the further material.

3. A composite material according to Claim 2 wherein the thermal insulation core is made of a blended mix of the mycelium-based material and the further material.

4. A composite material according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the further material is an agricultural waste material.

5. A composite material according to any one of Claims 2 to 4 wherein the further material is a plant residue-based material or a crop residue-based material.

6. A composite material according to any one of Claims 2 to 5 wherein the further material is a hemp-based material or a straw-based material.

7. A composite material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover material is water-resistant.

8. A composite material according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the protective cover material is water-repellent.

9. A composite material according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the protective cover material is waterproof.

10. A composite material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover material is made of a plastic material.

11. A composite material according to Claim 10 wherein the plastic material is a bioplastic material.

12. A composite material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover material is made of a polymeric material.

13. A composite material according to Claim 12 wherein the polymeric material is a biopolymeric material.

14. A composite material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover material is made of a biomaterial.

15. A composite material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover material is made of a seaweed-based material.

16. A composite material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover material is rigid.

17. A container made of a composite material according to any one of the preceding claims.

18. A container according to Claim 17, wherein the container is a food container.

19. A container according to Claim 17 or Claim 18, wherein the container is a fish or seafood box.

20. A method of manufacturing a composite material according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, the method including the step of encapsulating a thermal insulation core with a protective cover material, wherein the thermal insulation core is made of a myceliumbased material.

21. A method of manufacturing a container according to any one of Claims 17 to 19, the method including the step of manufacturing the container from a composite material according to any one of Claims 1 to 16.

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