2. Idea on Research
• Material to be used: Mycelium Composites
• There are two types of Mycelia: Substrate and Aerial
Mycelia
• The mycelium is a structure composed of hyphae which
form a weft or tissue and varies according to its function.
• grows in both solid-grown and submerged cultures.
• The main role of substrate mycelia is to absorb nutrients
from the media for the growth of actinobacteria.
• When grown in liquid cultures, the total mycelium can be
harvested and used to make mycelium material.
• The properties of pure mycelium materials not only depend
on culture conditions but are also the result of the type of
substrate, the fungus, other environmental growth conditions
and post-processing.
• The submerged mycelium dries up very dense having almost
no air voids with an appearance resembling that of paper.
Loshan P. EN19369884 2
3. Introduction – Purpose of the Research
• Need for sustainability.
• Production of light-weight cement blocks.
• To have a positive impact on the economy.
• Already used light-weight alternatives: Fly ash, Bottom ash, GGBS etc….
• Use of a natural material rather than man-made.
• To have much of a benefit compared to the ordinary cement blocks.
• To propose the innovation on to the future industry.
4. Research Question?
• Can Mycelium composites
co-operating with cement
have higher strength
properties, higher durability,
and longtime existence to be
a highly beneficial natural
resource compared to the
existing innovative
materials?
5. Aim of the Project
Aim of this project is to
produce light-weight
masonry cement blocks
using dried mycelium
composites.
6. Objectives of the
Project
To study the effects of
mycelium composites as
fine aggregate replacement
on masonry cement blocks.
To recommend the most
suitable mixture to produce
the lightweight masonry
cement block using
mycelium composites.
7. Scope of the Project
• The project is focused on conducting experiments according to the ASTM C270 standards. And the main
limitation is the consideration of the durability of Mycelium suggested under certain physical and chemical
conditions and estimating the quantity to be used on the mix design as the material is almost weightless. And
its environmental, economic, and social impacts are taken into consideration.
Dimensions Suggested: 50mm × 50mm × 50mm (Cubes)
40mm × 40 mm × 160 mm (Beams)
80 mm × 150 mm (Cylinders)
Number of Specimens = 3
Cement Type: OPC
Innovative Material: Mycelium Composites
9. Engineered mycelium composite construction materials from fungal
biorefineries (Jones, M., Mautner, A., Luenco, S., Bismarck, A. and John, S., 2020. Engineered mycelium composite
construction materials from fungal biorefineries: A critical review. Materials & Design, 187, p.108397.)
Laboratory Tests
Thermal Conductivity
Compressive and Tensile Tests
Water Absorption Test
Acoustic Absorption Test
Results and Conclusion
Mycelium binder is strong in both compression (0.17 – 1.1 MPa) and
tension (0.03 – 0.18 MPa).
Mycelium itself is an excellent acoustic absorber. (70 – 75%)
Mycelium composites tend to have foam-like mechanical properties.
Mycelium have excellent thermal conductivity (0.04 – 0.18 W/m.K)
Methodology
Use of mycelium fungi to produce composite
construction materials such as wall panels and door cores
Several steps followed up are Hydration,
Homogenization, Sterilization, Fungal Colonization and
Dehydration
Parameters
• Soaking Duration = 48hrs
• Mycelium molds temperature conditions = 25-27 °C
• Growth period of mycelium = 10 days
10. Bottom ash as replacement of sand for manufacturing masonry
blocks . (Abeykoon, A., Anthony, C. and Subashi De Silva, G., 2021. BOTTOM ASH AS REPLACEMENT OF
SAND FOR MANUFACTURING MASONRY BLOCKS. [online] p.11. Available at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350063242> [Accessed 21 July 2022].)
Laboratory Tests
Specific Gravity
Compression Test
Water Absorption
Results and Conclusion
Bottom ash have low specific gravity compared to sand
Blocks made with bottom ash shows high compressive
strengths compared to required standard values (for 20%
replacement).
Blocks have water absorption within the required limits.
Parameters
Proportions of bottom ash at 10%, 20%, 30% and
100%
Mix proportion - 1 : 6
Water-to-cement ratio = 0.7
Vibro-compaction time = 20 seconds
• Bottom ash is a waste product of coal production
and quantity required for this research have been
collected close to the Norochcholai Power Plant.
• Casting have been done as the usual procedure and
fine aggregates have been replaced by bottom ash in
proportions
11. Sustainable Development of Concrete through Aggregates and Innovative
Materials (Zamora-Castro, S., Salgado-Estrada, R., Sandoval-Herazo, L., Melendez-Armenta, R., Manzano-
Huerta, E., Yelmi-Carrillo, E. and Herrera-May, A., 2021. Sustainable Development of Concrete through Aggregates
and Innovative Materials: A Review. Applied Sciences, 11(2), p.629.
Parameters
Compressive strength of 20 MPa for all experiments.
Specimens were isolated for 28 and 90 days.
Laboratory Tests
Freeze/Thaw Durability Test
Compressive Strength Test
Sieve Analysis
Permeability Tests
X-ray Diffraction Tests
Results and Conclusion
Enhanced physical and mechanical properties of concrete
Reduce Carbon dioxide emissions
Main Variable of the Test was the amount of novel
material added to check their compatibilities.
Methodology
Use of recycled building materials, steel fibers and
coconut fiber to replace the fine aggregates with a
replacement ratio from 0% to 70%
12. A Study on thermal properties and carbon emissions of innovative
cements.
(Maddalena, R., Roberts, J. and Hamilton, A., 2018. Can Portland cement be replaced by low-carbon alternative
materials? A study on the thermal properties and carbon emissions of innovative cements. Journal of Cleaner Production,
186, pp.933-942.)
Parameters
28 Days’ time for every measurement
Humidity Level used – 98 ± 2%.
Temperature used – 21 ± 2 degrees Celsius.
Laboratory Tests
Compressive Strength Laboratory Tests
Powder X-ray Diffraction
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Thermal Conductivity Measurements
Methodology
Use of compounds of metakaolin, silica fume and
nano-silica to co-operate with Portland cement to
deduce the thermal performance
Results and Conclusion
Compressive strength values for the new materials were
found to be in the range of 2 – 7 MPa.
XRD diffractograms shows hydrated phases.
All samples have a carbon footprint up to 23 – 55%
lower than that of Portland cement.
Higher Thermal Conductivity
13. Performance Evaluation of Hollow Concrete Blocks Made with
Sawdust Replacement of Sand
(International Journal of Engineering, 2022. Performance Evaluation of Hollow Concrete Blocks Made with Sawdust
Replacement of Sand: Case Study of Adama, Ethiopia. 35(6), pp.1119-1126.)
Methodology
Compression Test
Water Absorption Test
Fire Resistance Test
Results and Conclusion
With increase in proportion of sawdust, the
compressive strength have decreased. So, the
best proportion to be used has been decided as
3%
Water absorption have increased with increase in
sawdust percentage.
Density have decreased with increment in
Sawdust
Parameters
Proportions of saw dust used: 3%, 6% and 9%
Samples were tested after 21 days.
Loading for compression = 2.5 mm/min
Samples oven dried for 24hrs at 115 °C
• Use of sawdust to replace sand as an alternative
for fine aggregates in separate proportions.
15. Resources Needed
OPC Cement – 42.5R Strength Class
Fine aggregate – River Sand
Water
Novel Material: Mycelium Composites
Substrate (Base) Material for fungal
growth - Sawdust
16. Mycelium Preparation
Material Used:
o A sealable container
o Corrugated Cardboard
o Oyster Mushrooms
First, Mushroom Bases were cut into slices and were placed on top of the corrugated cardboard.
As the second step, several layers of cardboard were placed inside the sealable container.
Finally, the container was left out in a dark place to allow mycelium growth.
Reference: Instructables.com. 2022. [online] Available at:
<https://www.instructables.com/Making-Mycelium/> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
17. Date: 28/05/2022
Figure 1:
Mushroom
Bases on top
of Corrugated
Cardboard
Figure 2:
Corrugated
Cardboard
Figure 3: Layers of
Corrugated Cardboard
with Mushroom Bases
in between.
18. Test Variables and Parameters
• Proposed mortar mix ratio: 1 : 4
• Oven Drying temperature: 65 degrees Celsius
• Number of specimens: 3
• Proportions of dried mycelium as a volume per mold
• 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%
• Curing temperatures: 20 – 24 degrees Celsius
• Number of days of curing: 28 days
19. First, the cultivated wet mycelium samples will be oven dried at 65 degrees Celsius to remove the
micro-organisms and have its dry condition.
As the second step, Cement, Sand mixture will be prepared using a cement block mix-design.
Next, proportions of dried Mycelium samples are to be mixed with the cement mixture.
The proportion of Mycelium is measured as a volume
And for each mold, two proportions will be added separately
As the next step, the compound will be added to molds and left out for a day before mold
removal.
Finally, the removed specimens are going to be left for 28 days at a controlled temperature in the
range of 20 – 24 degrees Celsius.
Casting Preparation
20. Afterwards, the following laboratory test will be conducted:
o Compressive Strength Test
o Water Absorption Test
o Permeability Test
o Tensile Strength Test (For this a separate cylindrical sample is to be made)
o Flexural Strength Test
o Thermal Conductivity
o X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)
Testing
23. To get hand-on experience with the lab apparatus and casting procedures, a trial mix was done.
Date: 17/06/2022 – Casting
• Number of castings: 6 Cubes
4 Cylinders
2 beams
28. Contribution
• I am contributing 100% to this project by my own collaboration. This research idea has not been
conducted before.
Research Outcome
• The results to be obtained by this research will be compared and stated to conclude about the
benefit or drawback of using Mycelium as an additional material to build cement blocks.
• Outcome: to produce a new cement block inclusive of mycelium which can act as filler or as a
binding agent and to have similar or beneficial properties than a usual cement block.
30. • Tests
• Compressive (Both 7 and 28 days)
• Tensile
• Flexural
• Permeability
• Replacement percentages
• 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%
• Mix Ratio – 1:4
• W/C ratio – 0.62
• (was found after recorrection)
Other Results to obtain
• Wet Density of mortar
• Dry Density of mortar
• Specific Gravity of the
material
• Moisture content of material
• Water Absorption of material
31.
32.
33. • Moisture Content Calculated (30.08.2022)
• After 2 hrs, 4hrs and 6 hrs
• Average was 109.7%
34. For each of the reviews above, OPC cement have been used. For this research PCC cement will
be used.
For most of the reviews, replaced material and sand have been taken passing a finer diameter
sieve. This research is conducted by using aggregated passing 4.75 mm sieve under the ASTM
standard specifications for masonry mortar.
Most of the reviews are conducted for replacement % within 50 and for higher mix proportions.
This research is conducted for replacements of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% under mix
proportions of 1:4, 1:3, 1:2 and 1:1.
And generally, all the reviewed papers were on usual sawdust obtained in sawmills, but this
research is carried out for mycelium composites which have different properties than ordinary saw
dust. (Saw dust replacements are done as a control mix)
Research Gap
35. For 1:4 Mix
• At the beginning of the research, the first attempt was
to follow up with the 1:4 mix ratio.
• Therefore, a control casting (0% replacement) was
done at first. Anyhow, with replacements of normal
sawdust (25% and 50%), the castings were not a
success (When de-molding, the specimens were not
hardened).
• Therefore, 75% and 100% replacement castings were
not done.
• Even though de-molding was unsuccessful for castings
with normal sawdust, it was able to calculate the wet
densities for 25% and 50% replacement.
36. For 1:3 Mix
• Since 1:4 mix ratio was unsuccessful, 1:3 mix ratio was attempted.
• And before carrying out a control casting, a casting for 25% replacement with normal sawdust was
done to check if it was successful. De-molding was partly successful (Not well hardened).
• Since the specimens were not well hardened, they were not possible to be placed in a curing tank.
• Therefore, all the specimens were cured by Gunny Bad method according to the procedures
followed up in literature.
• The 7 days and 28 days results were not satisfying the requirements.
• Therefore, the castings for the rest of the replacement percentages were not carried out.
37. For 1:1 Mix
• As both the attempts in 1:4 mix ratio and 1:3 mix ratio was not sufficient, 1:1 mix ratio was
attempted to check if the castings will work as expected.
• Once again, without carrying out the control casting, a casting was done for 25% replacement.
• The casting was a success, the specimens were in well shape and was cured in a curing tank as
usual.
• Since 1:1 mix ratio was a success, the rest of the castings were stopped to check if 1:2 mix ratio
was successive as well as 1:2 mix ratio is more economical than 1:1 mix ratio.
