Mycelium Composite Growth Lab

Growth Conditions

Temperature 27 °C

Relative humidity 85%

Fiber content (hemp hurd) 50%

Colonization Batch

Incubation day

0.0 d

Colonized

3.0%

Bulk density

122 kg/m³

Compressive strength

0.0 kPa

CO₂e avoided vs. molded EPS foam of the same volume

0 g

How it works

Fungal mycelium (e.g. Pleurotus or Ganoderma) is inoculated into a mold packed with agricultural waste — sawdust or hemp hurd. Hyphae spread outward from spore points and bind the loose fibers into a solid composite. Colonized fraction P follows classic logistic hyphal-growth kinetics:

dP/dt = r · P · (1 − P)
r(T,H) = r_max · exp(−(T − T_opt)² / (2σ²)) · clamp((H − 50) / 30, 0, 1)

Growth peaks near T_opt ≈ 27 °C and needs relative humidity above ~50–80% — too dry and the mycelium stalls, exactly as it does in a real incubation room. The colonization front here spreads outward from seed points through the substrate grid, cell by cell, matching that logistic curve.

ρ(P)  = ρ_sub·(1−P) + ρ_bound(P)·P          [bulk density]
σ(P)  = σ_max · P^2.2                        [compressive strength,
                                               percolation-like exponent —
                                               strength only develops once
                                               hyphae bridge neighboring cells]

Fiber content trades off the mix: more hemp hurd lowers final density but raises fracture toughness and σ_max, since the long fibers reinforce the hyphal binder — the same principle used by real mycelium-packaging producers (Ecovative, MOGU and others) as a compostable, carbon-light substitute for expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. The avoided-CO₂ estimate uses illustrative cradle-to-gate emission factors (~3.5 kg CO₂e/kg for virgin EPS vs. ~0.5 kg CO₂e/kg for a mycelium composite) applied to the block's current mass.

Temperature / Humidity — set r(T,H), the instantaneous colonization rate.
Fiber content — blends sawdust (fine, denser) toward hemp hurd (coarse, lighter, stronger once bound).
Pause / Reseed batch — freeze the clock, or start a fresh mold with new random spore points.

Raw substrate Mycelium-bound

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