© Shutterstock

The magic of mycelium -

Mycelium is the part of a fungus that roots the mushroom to the ground. These tiny fiber threads build incredibly complex structures with extreme precision, and the part we usually see is when they network out into larger structures like mushrooms.

© Shutterstock

Sturdy yet lightweight, fast to make and degrade -

Mycelium’s threadlike tissue grows in tight networks, making it a light but strong material, which scientists have realized can serve a range of purposes. Mycelia and fungi also grow incredibly fast, and they biodegrade quickly as well.

© Shutterstock

Uses other companies’ waste -

Working with mushrooms is also beneficial because they thrive on waste, therefore you gain commercial advantage by skipping out on raw material costs—which are typically a manufacturer's main expense. Instead, clever mycelium companies are using other companies' byproducts, such as timber shavings and grass clippings. Sometimes companies will even pay those who collect their waste or byproducts, creating a second stream of revenue.

© Shutterstock

It's moldable -

As it grows in a mass of fiber branches, the mycelium attaches itself to soil or whatever surface it is grown on, making it easy to grow into any mold you desire. The result is customized packaging with zero waste.

© Shutterstock

MycoComposite, or mushroom packaging -

Product design company Ecovative Design developed the mycelium-based material called Mushroom Packaging, or MycoComposite. The material is grown in a controlled environment in under a week's time, making this sustainable option great for business.

© Shutterstock

The process -

Agricultural products like timber shavings, hemp, husk, oat hulls, and cotton burrs are combined with the mycelium and sealed for several days in a mold where they grow to fill the empty space. The fresh material is then heat treated to dry it out, kill spores, and stop the growth process.

© Shutterstock

IKEA got onboard with fungi packaging -

The Swedish furniture retailer has committed to more sustainable product packaging and announced that they would be switching to fungi-based packaging in efforts to reduce plastic foam waste. The packaging could be tossed into a garden to help plants flourish and it would biodegrade in only a couple weeks.

© Shutterstock

Breaking down plastic -

In addition to replacing plastic, fungi might even be able to eat the existing waste. In Ecuador in 2011, Yale students discovered that a fungus called Pestalotiopsis microspora can digest and break down polyurethane plastic, reports Together Band. What's more, the fungi could eat the plastic even in an air-free environment, meaning it could work at the bottom of landfills.

© Shutterstock

Solving the landfill crisis -

Other studies have shown that even common mushrooms like the edible Oyster and Split gill mushrooms can, over the course of a couple of months, fully degrade small pieces of plastic.

© Shutterstock

A leather alternative -

Not many people would believe you if you told them your leather purse was made from mushrooms. MycoWorks is one company that has been developing an alternative to animal leather, called Fine Mycelium. The material looks and feels like a buttery soft leather, and you can enjoy it without harming any animals.

© Shutterstock

A leather alternative -

The production of Fine Mycelium is also waste-free because it can be grown to the exact size and shape needed for the pieces.

© Shutterstock

A carbon sink -

Most people learned that plants sequester CO2 and convert it to oxygen for us to breathe, but what many don't know is that plants put 70% of the carbon they absorb below ground. Down there, fungi are the ones that store and stabilize the carbon in their network of fine mycelium filaments.

© Shutterstock

Combating climate change -

Since carbon in the atmosphere is one of the major driving forces of climate change, increasing fungi could help store that excess carbon safely, which then also provides nutrients and improves soil health.

© Shutterstock

Building materials -

You can even make organic bricks from mycelium, potentially erasing the need for carbon-hungry materials like concrete. In 2014, a building called Hy-Fi, commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art, was 'grown' out of mushrooms in New York City. Carbon neutral and biodegradable, the white bio bricks were made by packing together agricultural waste and mycelium, and allowing them to grow inside a mold until they became solid.

© Shutterstock

Building materials -

NASA is even thinking about building homes from fungi on Mars. In 2020, they reported that the myco-architecture project out of NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley is prototyping technologies that could grow habitats on the Moon, Mars, and beyond using mycelia.

© Shutterstock

Eco-friendly insulation -

Biotech start-up Biohm has developed new strains of fungi by exposing them to stimuli like differing light, humidity levels, or waste to feed on. Through that process they have created a fungi-based building insulation that rivals synthetic insulation materials that are carbon-intensive to manufacture, hard to recycle, and emit potentially dangerous compounds into buildings.

© Shutterstock

Eco-friendly insulation -

Biohm's insulation “not only outperforms petrochemical/plastic based construction materials in thermal and acoustic insulation but, as a natural material, it is also safer and healthier,” says their website. “Mycelium does not contain the synthetic, resin-based compounds that can cause harmful toxic smoke and the quick spread of flames during a fire."

© Shutterstock

Filtering water -

In the 1980s, world-famous mycologist Paul Stamets made a groundbreaking discovery when he learned he could reduce water pollution from livestock using large edible mushrooms called Garden Giant, growing in beds of wood chip. He reportedly recorded a 100-fold reduction in water pollution levels, kicking off a fresh investigation into "mycofiltration."

© Shutterstock

Clearing up oil spills -

The practice of using fungi to clear up hazardous waste, including oil spills and heavy metals, is called mycoremediation—which literally means "to restore balance." Fungi have the ability to grow in waste and create new life out of compost. Mycelium can 'eat' or break down oil and toxins and continue to grow.

© Shutterstock

Clearing up oil spills -

In the Ecuadorian Amazon rain forest for instance, oil companies left behind oil-filled pits for decades, and even when they returned to clean them up, the soil was left damaged. Since then, workshops are showing locals how to break down the remains of the crude oil with a native fungus called Geomyces, along with other plants and microbes, to restore the ecosystem.

© Shutterstock

Feeding livestock -

Valuable land from rain forests and savannas are being cleared to support the massive demand for soybean crops, most of which goes towards feeding livestock. But the deforestation is a huge contributor to the climate crisis. Fortunately, certain fungi can break down indigestible straw stalks to produce a carbohydrate-rich material that can be digested easily by cattle, sheep, and goats, thus relieving the need for soybean crops.

© Shutterstock

Feeding livestock -

Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s better for the animals, too. With chickens, for example, studies have reportedly shown that when they are fed mushroom supplements, they can lay better quality eggs.

© Shutterstock

A meat alternative -

By now everyone has heard why it's important that we all cut down on our meat consumption, and mushrooms might come in handy. They make chewy contenders for a meat-like replacement, and you can have them in burgers, minced, or even pulled like pulled pork.

© Shutterstock

Absorbing radioactivity -

Back in 1991, scientists discovered a thick black fungus growing in the remains of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They found that the fungus, known as radiotrophic fungi, was able to eat and decompose radioactive materials by absorbing them and then converting them into energy for growth.

© Shutterstock

Protecting astronauts -

Radiotrophic fungi is also being explored on the International Space Station as a way to potentially shield astronauts from radiation.

© Shutterstock

Creating important chemical compounds -

Fungi produce a range of chemicals when digesting foods, which Peter McCoy, the author of ‘Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing and Working with Fungi,’ says “leads to a whole range of compounds that we don't find anywhere else in the natural world." He notes penicillin as an example of the powerful substances they can generate. "Fungi are nature's greatest chemists."

© Shutterstock

Saving the bees -

Honey bee populations are struggling with highly infectious viruses that kill off entire colonies. Reminder: no bees means no pollination, which means no food! Luckily, a study led by Paul Stamets found that feeding bees certain types of mycelium can actually increase their chances of survival.

© Shutterstock

Saving the bees -

The mycelium reportedly come from a group of fungi known as polypores, which studies have shown possess antiviral properties against dangerous infections like swine flu, pox viruses, and HIV.

© Shutterstock

So, what's the problem? -

The potential of fungi is beyond what most people ever imagined—and that’s part of the problem. This revolutionary organism’s biggest obstacle is human beings and their failure to disseminate this important knowledge, crack down on major polluting companies, and focus, for once, on the climate crisis instead of commercial gain.

See also: Fatal fungi and other deadly mushrooms

© Shutterstock