Abstract

Mycelium and mycelium-biomass composites are emerging as new sustainable materials with useful flame-retardant potentials. Here we report a detailed characterisation of the thermal degradation and fire properties of fungal mycelium and mycelium-biomass composites. Measurements and analyses are carried out on key parameters such as decomposition temperatures, residual char, and gases evolved during pyrolysis. Pyrolysis flow combustion calorimetry (PCFC) evaluations reveal that the corresponding combustion propensity of mycelium is significantly lower compared to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polylactic acid (PLA), indicating that they are noticeably less prone to ignition and flaming combustion, and therefore safer to use. The hyphal diameters of mycelium decrease following pyrolysis. Cone calorimetry testing results show that the presence of mycelium has a positive influence on the fire reaction properties of wheat grains. This improvement is attributable to the relatively higher charring tendency of mycelium compared to wheat grain, which reduces the heat release rate (HRR) by acting as a thermal insulator and by limiting the supply of combustible gases to the flame front. The mycelium growth time has been found to yield no significant improvements in the fire properties of mycelium-wheat grain composites.

Details

Title
Thermal Degradation and Fire Properties of Fungal Mycelium and Mycelium - Biomass Composite Materials
Author
Jones, Mitchell 1 ; Bhat, Tanmay 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Everson Kandare 3 ; Thomas, Ananya 4 ; Joseph, Paul 4 ; Dekiwadia, Chaitali 5 ; Yuen, Richard 6 ; Sabu, John 3 ; Ma, Jun 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Chun-Hui, Wang 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia; Institute of Material Chemistry and Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria 
2  School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia; School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 
3  School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia 
4  Institute of Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia 
5  RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia 
6  Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 
7  School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, Australia 
8  School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 
Pages
1-10
Publication year
2018
Publication date
Dec 2018
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36032-9
ProQuest document ID
2149883022
Copyright
© 2018. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.