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Bandung start-up turns mushrooms into durable building material
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A wall of Mycotech, a sustainable building material made of mushrooms. (mycote.ch/-)
Y
oung businesspeople from IDEAS Indonesia, a Bandung-based start-up company that focuses on creative agriculture, have developed building materials made out of mushrooms in a bid to turn waste into sustainable products.
After two years of research, the product, called Mycotech, can be manufactured in five to 18 days. The production process itself involves combining waste with mushroom seeds and then waiting for the seeds to grow. When the desired structure is achieved, the mushrooms will be removed using heat. As a building material, not only is Mycotech durable and flexible, it is reportedly fireproof and bouyant as well.
"We observed that sawdust can turn into a solid material when it is combined with mycelium from the mushrooms in the Growbox,” said IDEAS CEO Ronaldiaz "Aldi" Hartantyo.
Growbox, the start-up's previous creation, is a small box that contains oyster mushroom seeds that can be cultivated anywhere, anytime.
(Read also: Green businesses attract young people)
Mushrooms have a part called mycelium. The filaments of mushroom mycelia (a singular form of mycelium) become a natural adhesive for almost all agricultural waste. Apparently, it is also fireproof, waterproof, durable and flexible. “It only needs a sterile environment [while being developed],” said Aldi.
Mycotech can be made into decorative and non-structural products including furniture, or "fungiture" as the start-up called it. “We decided to make a high-value product. Hopefully we'll be able to increase people’s awareness and appreciation toward our eco-friendly product,” Aldi added.
The start-up is currently processing Mycotech's certification and product standardization as it plans to develop a manufacturing facility and commercialize the product as soon as possible. (kes)
