Mycosoft

In the MycoSoft project, together with the Institute of Experimental Physics – Department of Soft Matter Physics at the JKU Linz, the company partners Fronius International, Holz-Reisecker and UPM Steyrermühl, research will be carried out over the next 3 years to makesoftwoodresidues usable for the production of mushroom-bound(Myco) packaging and insulation materials. Biogenic residues, which are combined by fungal mycelium to form a solid “mycomaterial”, have the potential to be a sustainable alternative to insulation and packaging materials based on fossil raw materials, as they can be used in a bioeconomic cycle. Local origin and easy availability of these residual materials are important here. The most readily available biogenic waste material in Austria – sawdust from coniferous wood – is not yet suitable for the efficient production of mycomaterials due to its fungus-inhibiting natural ingredients. In the project, the Wood K plus research team will focus on the possibilities of raw material pre-treatment to optimize the growth processes of the fungi used in order to enable the efficient production of mycomaterials based on softwood chips. The suitability of the resulting mycomaterials will be verified by the utilization partners in two prototype applications, one as packaging material and the other as granulate for blow-in insulation materials. The project results should create the basis for a cross-sectoral (construction and packaging industry) utilization concept of plant residues from the sawmill industry and provide the necessary foundations and findings for the development of sustainable, mushroom-based packaging materials and blow-in insulation materials in the sense of the circular economy and bioeconomy. The project aims to establish an important sub-sector of a sustainable bioeconomy in Austria, which manages local waste materials in sensible cycles. This will result in a drastic increase in the added value of lignocellulosic residual material through cross-industry use as packaging and insulation material.